Review of 8 Days

I managed to spread this mini-series over two days but it was pretty compellingly viewing all the same. Quite nice to have a guilt-free apocalypse saga for a change. A huge ambivalent asteroid will crash to earth and a US attempt to obliterate it in space failed. Ho hum. No need therefore for all those ridiculous flag-filled 'Incident room' scenes with telemetry screens, telex printers, flashing LEDs, multi-starred generals thumping desks, a relentless hunt against the clock to find the antidote / expert nerd / brave hero who could save mankind etc etc. Instead a mesh of interconnected individuals surrounding a central family unit in a comfortable, suburban Berlin milieu fight to make sense of their imminent death/survival options against a backdrop of contorting societal breakdown. The heart of the story is delivered early on by the terminally ill character who has read and explains about the five psychological stages of death/bereavement. However, the diversity of character, back story and dramatic arcs within the series is exemplary in developing these themes. The acting is also very good. Each of the characters faces multiple challenges and painful setbacks and each, for the most part, continues to rally themselves in defiant hope of salvation (of one sort or another). Often this is achieved by the simple dramatic means of awakening on the floor from last night's drinking. There are areas of relief, sentiment and human insight to be found amongst the stress, carnage, hedonism and self-interest and I feel this helps to serve a broad audience well. I would also give final commendation for the naturalistic photography and economical editing throughout all 8 episodes.