The French procedural miniseries “Forest of the Missing (La Foret des disparus)” resembles all the different countries’ incarnations of “The Border”, with a dozen bodies found in the Black Forest on a military site that’s shared by Germany and France, requiring cops from both countries to cooperate in the sleuthing. The remains were buried separately over the previous 15 years. That indicates the work of a serial killer, though it takes a long time to identify the men doing their dirt naps. And when the sleuths do start coming up with names, there seems to be no connection or pattern among them.
The prime police detectives are Erik (Gregory Fitoussi) and Franz (Tcheky Karyo), with semi-reliable assistance from former judge Camille (Helene de Fougerolles). She’d been injured a year before in a serious car crash that left her amnesic. If that weren’t bad enough, she’s also got a bitchy teen daughter, Iris (Victoria Eber), to contend with. Franz chafes at the younger Erik being designated as lead detective on the case.
As one might expect, theories and suspects abound in such a complex, prolonged scenario. As Camille starts getting flashes of returning memories, her role in the crimes and solutions becomes larger, albeit erratically so. There are scenes with on-screen violence and menace in this suspenseful drama. But they don’t belabor the appearance of the stiffs, minimizing the gore factor. Performances are solid all around. US viewers will recognize Turkish native Karyo from dozens of English-language and imported films – largely crime dramas. I’ve mostly seen him playing bad guys, which transitions well to this character’s sour disposition while on the other side of the law.
This is marketed as a miniseries, which is legitimate since it delivers closure in its four hourlong episodes. That makes it a tighter package than many of the European series I’ve covered. Kudos to director Ivan Fegyveres and the four credited writers for that. But they end with a teaser for a follow-up that thus far hasn’t materialized. That’s OK, either way.
“Forest of the Missing”, in French with subtitles, streams on MHz Choice on November 4, 2025.
3 Out Of 4 Stars