When Sebastian Fitzek publishes a novel, you can be pretty sure it will be a bestseller. Hardly any other German author is better at turning complicated crime stories into massive successes. It is therefore not surprising that his books are adapted for both the big screen (see “Cut Off”) and the series market.
That’s what Amazon Prime Video has done, adapting the hit author’s first novel into a series with “Sebastian Fitzek’s The Therapy.” Starting today, you can watch the six-episode format with a Prime subscription. Crime enthusiasts can look forward to a dark, thoroughly mysterious puzzle game.
That’s what ‘therapy’ is about
At the center of the action is psychiatrist Viktor Larenz (Stephen Kampwirth). He has reached the end of his strength since his 13-year-old daughter Josy (Helena Zengel) disappeared two years ago under unclear circumstances. There are no witnesses, no traces and no body. Viktor then decides to retreat to a holiday home in the wilderness, but the pain is simply too deep to cope with the loss.
Viktor isolates himself more and more from his outside world until one day an unknown woman (Emma Bading) appears at his door and asks for psychiatric help. She is terrorized by strange delusions that are eerily reminiscent of Joy’s disappearance. Are her visions just fiction or is there actually a spark of reality hidden in the chaos of thoughts? The first therapy sessions turn into a search for the truth.
In addition to Stephan Kampwirth (“Blackout”), the cast also includes Emma Bading (“Dear Thomas”) and Helena Zengel (“System Sprenger”), Trystan Pütter (“The Flying Classroom”) and Andrea Osvart (“The Diplomat”). The series was directed by Thor Freudenthal (“Carnival Row”) and Iván Sáinz-Pardo (“Ainhoa”). Alexander Rümelin (“Lindenberg!”), Don Bohlinger (“The Experiment”) and Christian Limmer (“Oktoberfest 1900”) are responsible for the script.