I know nothing about Slovenia, but this new DVD set billed as “the first Slovenian crime noir series” caught my attention due to its apparent similarity to Nordic noir shows such as the original iterations of The Bridge, The Killing, and Wallander. It has the requisite bleak, wintry setting, at least in the first series, as well as a humorless and troubled lead detective, and in fact feels very much like those Nordic shows in tone and execution, even though it turns out Slovenia is nowhere near the Arctic circle.
Buy The Lake Trilogy DVDAdapted from a trilogy of novels by author Tadej Golob, the show follows the murder investigations of Chief Inspector Taras Birsa (Sebastian Cavazza), a gruff silver fox who leads a small team of detectives in a mid-sized city. The title is a bit of a misnomer, as only the first series takes place at a rural lake, with both subsequent series set in the city and individually titled Lenin Park and Valley of Flowers.
Series 1 kicks off with a bang when the headless corpse of a naked young woman is found on the shore of a scenic lake, offering shades of Twin Peaks. We’re introduced to Birsa, as well as his two scruffy assistant detectives and a striking young woman named Tina (Nika Rozman) who has just joined his team. The investigation plays out over six episodes, with the revelation of a possibly related billion-dollar pharmaceutical deal, a second murder, another corpse found in the lake, and the suspicious death of a wealthy pharma dude.
Meanwhile, Birsa is dealing with typical domestic issues at home, including his moribund relationship with his wife, his daughter’s growing romance with a man he doesn’t like, and his own ennui about his forced career path. His new hire offers just the distraction he needs, with the pair eventually hooking up and offering each other a respite from the darkness of their jobs and their unsatisfying personal lives.
The first series plays out against rugged snowy environments, revealing the dramatic Alpine winter wonders of Slovenia. It’s beautifully filmed, capturing plenty of scenic exterior vistas suitable for a tourism brochure. It also moves along at a brisk, satisfying pace, even though it’s twice as long as the subsequent two series.
Lenin Park immediately sets itself apart by opening in the midst of a summer heatwave, with sun-dappled images replacing the icy cool of Season 1. When an elderly homeless woman is shot on a park bench, Birsa’s team is called in to canvas the neighborhood and solve the crime. The story touches on neo Nazis, gay activism, and cryptocurrency, but feels a bit compressed with a total runtime barely longer than most movies.
Valley of Flowers retains the summer setting but switches up Birsa’s career, with Birsa working as a private investigator after quitting the force in lieu of serving suspension for his actions in the prior season. The new police boss is an uptight dork who clashes with Birsa’s remaining team and has the audacity to haul in Birsa for questioning as a potential suspect in one of the murders. Lisa has also moved on to a different department. Birsa’s new job brings him in contact with a femme fatale who hires him to prove her father’s new young wife is cheating on him, eventually leading to multiple murders. This is the least effective series, an unfortunate end for the show even as things were returning to a satisfying status quo for the characters by season end.
The show is about what you would expect, and Cavazza is an intriguing lead actor, making this a solid choice for fans of police procedurals. Add in the bonus of a virtual tour of Slovenia and it acts as an educational resource as well. While the show’s longevity was unfortunately curtailed by the boundaries of the completed trilogy of novels, the characters are well rounded and the mysteries are suitably developed, if not exactly remarkable. It’s a fully competent, entertaining show that stands up well next to its Nordic peers, proclaiming Slovenia as a new source for crime noir.
