"Katarakt" (2007)TV series

Directors:

Stef Desmyter
Jan Mathijs

Writers:

Nathalie Haspenslagh (scenario)
Geert Vermeulen (scenario)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

9 December 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Cast

Karlijn Sileghem

...

Elisabeth Donkers (11 episodes, 2007-2008)

Also Known As:

Elisabeth (Belgium: Flemish title) (working title)

Runtime:

Belgium:50 min (13 episodes)

Country:

Belgium

Language:

Dutch

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Belgium:KT

Filming Locations:

Borgloon, Belgium

Company:

Eén

Nice start, quick deterioration

Katarakt has been aired for 10 weeks now. Though interesting at first, improbabilities being added up every week make the story less and less thought-provoking. As happens often in Flemish TV-productions, directing and acting are a job very well done, but the scenario totally ruins the series. There's too little coherence between episodes, interesting story lines stay too superficial and are abandoned without a clear reason. Every episode something terrible happens to Elizabeth Donckers or her direct environment, but as a resolute fruit company manager she deals with it her way. The nature of her misfortunes are of a diversity as wide as can be, and are ridiculous at times. In one year, her husband has an affair, her father appears not to be her biological father, he dies of cancer, her son quits school, her retarded brother's deviation appears to be her fault, she gets caught using illegal chemicals for their fruit company, her husband commits suicide as a result of that, she's the victim of fraud, her brother-in-law appears to be infertile.. Does a series really needs all this to make us hang on there for 13 weeks? Wouldn't it be better off with some stronger characters, whose actions and experiences are comprehensible by their motivations in life instead of a result of a lazy writer?

I have been watching every episode until now, but I think I've had just enough of it..