The first season of Polish neo-murder-mystery series Signs is now on Netflix. It’s the story of a small town’s new police chief arriving just in time for a murder that may have ties to an unsolved case from two years prior. So yes, another gloomy, death-addled saga set in a misty, miserable place. Near the village of Sowie Doly, a teenage girl strolls alongside a tranquil lake. She quarrels with her mother over the phone, hangs up, turns around and is shot twice in the heart. Years later: Old woman Zofia chat the ears off a young cop, forcing him to take notes on her various superstitions and conspiracy theories; we soon find out she’s the mother of the dead girl. The new chief cop, Trela (Andrzej Konopka), bursts through the door. He’s ticked because the office space is a mess. Trela and cop Ada (Helena Sujecka) share living space in a boarding house. Suddenly, Trela jumps in the cop truck, Ada trailing him. So far, so much like a whole lot of other stuff out there: Grim tones, grumpy-gritty cops, small towns with secrets, corpses and what appears to be mayoral corruption and serial evil things happening. Signs features strong performances, the direction is medium-dynamic and the photography can be very good.

– Compilation