Anthracite – Netflix Series Review

ANTHRACITE on Netflix is a French limited series in the thriller and mystery genres. Just six episodes and a solid plot. Perfect if you like Harlan Coben mystery stories. Read our full Anthracite series review here!

ANTHRACITE is a new Netflix series from France. The genres are thriller and mystery with a touch of crime. In other words, it has all the genres – and many of the qualities – of the popular Harlan Coben series such as Fool Me Once.

Also, if you enjoyed the Polish Netflix series Detective Forst, you’re in for a treat. This one does have a lighter tone at times, but it also gets very dark. A good combination and with just six episodes to this limited series, it’s a relatively quick bingewatch.

You can continue reading our Anthracite series review below. All six episodes are on Netflix from April 10, 2024.

Cults, murder, and secrets

The story of Anthracite begins in 1994 when we arrive along with a SWAT team at a house full of cult members. Unfortunately, they’re too late and a mass suicide has just taken place. The cult is based in a small village in the Alps, so it also hits this small town hard.

Of course, it would be headline news anywhere, but just ask the people of Waco, TX, what it means to have your town be synonymous with one thing. Okay, maybe two now that Chip and Joanna Gaines have fought to restore the name of this particular town.

In Anthracite, people are understandably eager to move on and they manage to do so. After all, this is in the Alps, so there are ski resorts all over.

All seems to be near-forgotten when a woman turns up murdered thirty years later. As it turns out, she isn’t the only person who has gone missing or turned up dead. For this particular woman, however, she was killed following rituals the cult was known for.

Along comes Ida

The delicately restored balance crumbles instantly and the small-town residents are thrown back into turmoil. Fortunately, they find the perfect scapegoat in Jaro Gatsi. He is a young man recently out of prison, who was just looking to get his life back on track.

Instead, he finds himself accused of murder. And he doesn’t help things much by having a terrible temper… and having a connection to the 1994 cult. Obviously, he wants to prove his innocence and is helped by the energetic Ida.

Ida is an eccentric and hyperconnected self-proclaimed Internet Sleuth. Her online name is Idata – as in Ida combined with Data – and she knows how to find stuff online. And offline via her vast community of fellow sleuths all over the world.

Birds of a feather

As it happens, Ida is looking for her missing father who was investigating the cult back in 1994. And who has recently taken up the old investigation before going missing. In a brutal scene, Ida’s father is attacked and kidnapped while on the phone with his daughter.

Before long, Jaro and Ida realize that their involvement in this case is far from accidental. Finally, we have a police detective, who is also battling her own demons, who seems to be the only local resident interested in solving a case involving the cult in the present day.

Birds of a feather flock together and the three end up working the same case from different angles and with different purposes.

Watch the Anthracite miniseries on Netflix now!

The new French series comes from Maxime Berthemy and Fanny Robert with the latter being showrunner on the miniseries. Anthracite was written by Maxime Berthemy, Mehdi Ouahab, and Sophie Lebarbier.

The cast of Anthracite is led by Noémie Schmidt (season 2 of The Break) as Ida, musician-turned-actor Hatik (Dogman) as Jaro, and Camille Lou as the police detective Giovanna (or just Gio).

All three are wonderful, but I especially loved the character of Ida from the very beginning. Fast-talking, intuitive, and ballsy. She reminded me of the title character for Kleo. Also, there’s the former cult leader portrayed by Stefano Cassetti (Into the Night), who also portrays a fascinating character.

As mentioned earlier, if you enjoyed Detective Forst, anything by Harlan Coben, or even the style of Kleo, then Anthracite is worth checking out. With just six episodes, it’s the kind of story that you’ll quickly have binge-watched.

Anthracite is on Netflix from April 10, 2024.

Details

Showrunner: Fanny Robert
Writers: Maxime Berthemy, Mehdi Ouahab, Sophie Lebarbier
Cast: Clément Penohat, Noémie Schmidt, Camille Lou, Nicolas Godart, Raphaël Ferret, Jean-Marc Barr, Stefano Cassetti, Kad Merad, Vincent Rottiers