Picture Palace | Film   The Signal

Who still believes in extraterrestrials today? The Netflix series “The Signal” tackles this question and explores the possibility of non-human life in space. At the same time, the thriller tells the story of the slow decline of the West. Whether it succeeds is a matter of perspective.

The year 1977 was the year Elvis Presley died—and in Germany, when people think of 1977, they mostly remember how David Bowie and Iggy Pop caused a stir in West Berlin, while the rest of the country was paralyzed by the terror of the Red Army Faction (RAF). It was the year of the so-called German Autumn. If you look at the Wikipedia page for that year today, among the lists of deceased celebrities, acts of violence, and other disasters, you’ll also find the launch of the interstellar probes Voyager 1 and 2. These were sent into space by NASA to deliver a message of peace to any potential extraterrestrials. People from 55 nations recorded greetings, hoping that friendly aliens might find these golden records, come to Earth, and save us humans from our self-inflicted troubles.

The girl Charlie, who can only hear thanks to a cochlear implant—a highly advanced hearing aid—loves the story of the Voyager Golden Record. It's no surprise since her mother, Paula (Peri Baumeister), is an astronaut. However, The Signal begins with a disaster. Paula, who has just returned safely from the ISS with her colleague Hadi (Hadi Khanjanpour), disappears from the radar along with the plane that’s supposed to bring her home to her family. But The Signal quickly makes it clear: this isn’t a series about the grief that the mother’s disappearance causes her daughter and her husband Sven (Florian David Fitz). Initial discrepancies arise, and soon father and daughter find themselves in a position where they must play detective and uncover what really happened.

No, The Signal doesn’t reinvent the wheel. The twists, the good characters who turn bad (and vice versa) throughout the episodes, inherently suspicious government officials, billionaires with seemingly good intentions—we've seen all of this before, somewhere, sometime, and usually more than once. Nevertheless, Fitz, Bennett, Baumeister, and Khanjanpour manage to create characters that you genuinely root for and care about. Besides the fact that all four convincingly portray people who embody both strengths and weaknesses, good and evil (except Bennett, whose Paula is the true heroine of the story and is allowed to be just that), The Signal draws you in with its confident direction and frequent jumps between different timelines. The entire endeavor begins with a foreboding glimpse into the future, which is only fully explained shortly before the series concludes. From there, the story frequently cuts back to the past, particularly to tell the tale of Paula’s fate. Through these flashbacks, we learn about the astronaut’s psychological struggles, a mysterious discovery, and a betrayal aboard the ISS. Meanwhile, the motivations of the aforementioned billionaire, Benisha Mudhi (Seheeba Chaddha), remain largely incomprehensible for much of the series. While she seems to want to help the world, the script could have used some more concrete ideas, especially since this initially ghostly figure becomes incredibly important as the miniseries progresses.

Another rather perplexing presence in The Signal is portrayed by the iconic actress Katharina Thalbach. She plays the mysterious and initially somewhat eerie Agnieszka, who gradually reveals herself to be a conspiracy theorist preparing for the end times. She even appears to be involved in the Reichsbürger movement. The fact that a character who seemingly believes that politics and the government are out to get us ends up becoming – spoiler alert – a crucial ally for Charlie and Sven might leave viewers feeling a bit skeptical.

Despite this, The Signal is definitely worth watching all the way to its multi-layered and genuinely unexpected ending. This is due, first and foremost, to the characters, who are portrayed by an excellent cast, even in the supporting roles (including Nilam Farooq and Meret Becker). Additionally, the show’s handling of mental illness and the creators’ evident intention to craft a series that not only generates suspense but also offers a substantial critique of our present-day world through the space metaphor, ensures that viewers will remain captivated for four hours straight. A few minor flaws, along with the somewhat unremarkable cinematography, do nothing to detract from the experience. If you thought everything had already been said about space and astronauts, The Signal will undoubtedly prove you wrong.
 

October 2024