PAULINE on Hulu / Disney+ is a new miniseries from Germany. A diabolic fantasy series with just six episodes. The main characters are teenagers, who have an open-minded approach. Read our Pauline series review here!
PAULINE is a new Hulu / Disney+ fantasy miniseries from Germany. The one-sentence description would be that the main character is a teenager who falls in love with the devil. However, before the end of episode 1, you’ll know this is hardly a correct description.
For one, the young man is a one-night stand at first and she wants nothing more to do with him. Secondly, he isn’t the devil. His mother is. And Pauline isn’t falling in love with his mother as the story progresses. The result of their first night together does, however, result in a pregnancy.
Continue reading our Pauline series review below. Find all six episodes on Hulu / Disney+ from May 22, 2024.
A diabolic fantasy plot
As Pauline begins, we’re following the title character as she’s getting ready to finish the German equivalent of high school. She’s in the running for a scholarship to go to med school in London, which is her dream.
Or rather, it’s what she’s decided is her dream, but when having to do an essay on why she should receive the scholarship, she struggles. All the main characters in this Hulu series (on Disney+ internationally) are teenagers, but the plot also involves several adults. Of course.
Pauline, who is 18 years old, accidentally becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a Tinder date (or something similar). His name is Lukas, he seems quite well off and finds her intriguing. However, our title character and protagonist have no interest in relationships.
She’s much more preoccupied with school stress, the constantly evolving climate crisis, and the general downfall of society. Basically, she has no time for either Lukas or a pregnancy. To her defense – not that she needs it – she was on birth control and they used protection, so she did everything right.
A very intriguing cast
In any case, whether to terminate the pregnancy or not is a non-issue for Pauline. However, with the father being of Diabolic origin, the fetus seems to have power from the moment of conception. This, in turn, means Pauline has some newfound skills. Creepy skills!
The stars of the series include a few familiar faces for anyone who has checked out a few recent German-language hits. In the title role is Sira-Anna Faal (Druck) as the 18-year-old Pauline. As the son of the devil is Ludger Bökelmann (Netflix hit series Dark) as Lukas.
As the actual Devil, we see Susanne Wuest, who starred in the Austrian horror movie Goodnight Mommy (2014). It was recently remade with Naomi Watts in the lead role. Also, Susanne Wuest was in the Netflix series Perfume.
Another key role is portrayed by Amira Ghazalla (HBO Max miniseries The Baby). I won’t get into her character here as she’s a mystery for quite some time. Until she isn’t, of course.
Watch Pauline on Hulu or Disney+ now!
The creators of Pauline are Sebastian Colley (who is also the head writer) along with Elena Lyubarskaya, Matthias Murmann, and Philipp Kässbohrer (Big Mäck, Cyberbunker).
Directors of the six episodes – which are all around 45 minutes long – are Arabella Bartsch (Deadlines), Alma Buddecke (award-winning short film Hot Dog), and Facundo Scalerandi (Big Mäck).
It will come as no surprise to anyone that certain groups have been strongly opposed to the release of this series. Why? Because they believe it promotes devil-worshipping as the plot revolves around a girl falling in love with the devil.
As mentioned earlier, this isn’t strictly speaking correct. Also, it’s a work of fiction!
Besides there’s nothing about what Pauline goes through that makes her life seem like anything you’d aspire to. In any case, I think you should watch it because it’s entertaining and intriguing and well-made. So, how about you give it a shot and make up your own mind?!
Pauline is out on Hulu and Disney+ from May 22, 2024.
Details
Creators: Sebastian Colley, Philipp Kässbohrer, Elena Lyubarskaya, Matthias Murmann
Directors: Arabella Bartsch, Alma Buddecke, Facundo Scalerandi
Cast: Sira-Anna Faal, Ludger Bökelmann, Lukas von Horbatschewsky, Johanna Hens, Andrea Sawatzki, Dimitrij Schaad, Amira Ghazalla
Plot
18-year-old Pauline accidentally becomes pregnant from a one-night stand with Lukas, who, as it turns out, is the son of the devil. The pregnancy gives Pauline supernatural powers and an epic battle between good and evil ensues.
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