Notre-Dame recounts the impact of the fire that caught the medieval Catholic cathedral, Notre-Dame, in 2019, and left the entire world stunned. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Alice, a firefighter, haunted by the memories of her first mission where she lost her lover, Ben, gets back on the field after two months.
Alice’s first day back sees her joining the team that is taking care of the situation at Notre-Dame, which has caught fire and has left an entire country worrying.
Alice tries to prove that she is ready by going to lengths but, obstacles come her way in the form of her own teammates, who want to keep her safe, and Ben’s father, Zacharie, who is heading the operation on his last day as a firefighter.
Amidst all of this, Elena, a journalist, with the help of her firefighter friend looks to get coverage of the cathedral from the inside.
Max, a restaurant owner searches for his addicted daughter to bring her back so that their family can reunite one last time before his wife passes away.
A kid named Billy travels to Notre-Dame believing that his long-lost father is a firefighter, and is part of the team that is saving the cathedral.
Lastly, Bassem, a construction worker at the cathedral, hopes to connect with a woman that looks just like his dead wife.
Performances
Megan Northam as Alice manages to capture the emotions and reactions of a rookie that is trying to prove herself. A remarkable officer that has faced failure right in the face.
Marie Zabukovec as Victoire is another notable performance as she easily switches between being the nicest person to Billy to being a druggie who doesn’t care about her life.
Zabukovec’s character’s pairing with Billy would have been the only thing that would come out as odd in the beginning. Though it grows, it still feels forced and added to give her character some heart.
The rest of the actors have equally performed well. It’s their story arcs that have sometimes not given them back the way they have dedicated themselves to the roles.
Positives
The show often captures the reactions of the people to the fire quite beautifully which tells how important this event really was for the world and how it affected the people around.
The idea of preserving history and arguments around saving artifacts or the people inside are put forth brilliantly.
Negatives
Though the message of the show is to convey that people will remember what they were doing the time Notre-Dame was burning, the drama and stories portrayed around it are not good enough.
These stories are quite predictable and often overtake the main plot.
The story revolving around Bassem and his quest to meet the woman who resembles his wife hardly had minutes, thus, becoming an unnecessary addition that was closed quickly.
Verdict
Though Notre-Dame captures the events of 2019’s Notre-Dame fire perfectly, it struggles to leave any impact on the viewers as it loses its main focus by mostly adhering to different storylines that are taking place far away from the fire.
Notre-Dame
Director: Hervé Hadmar
Date Created: 2022-10-19 12:30
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