Netflix's German thriller Dear Child has achieved a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics and viewers praising its gripping and unsettling narrative. The six-part series, based on the novel Liebes Kind, was released in 2023 and carries an 18+ rating due to its 'intense psychological horror'.
The story follows Lena, a woman held captive with two children in a windowless environment by a faceless captor. After escaping, she is involved in a car accident and, during her recovery, recounts her abuse while police investigate her disappearance. A synopsis describes it as: 'A mysterious woman's escape from her harrowing captivity points investigators toward the dark truth behind an unsolved disappearance 13 years earlier.'
Viewers have described the series as 'engaging', 'spooky', and 'sad', with one calling it 'probably my favourite psychological thriller/horror/mystery of all time'. Another said: 'Once you start Dear Child, you find it hard to look away.' TIME Magazine's Megan McCluskey labelled it the 'show of the moment'.
The cast includes German talents such as Kim Riedle, Haley Louise Jones, Hans Löw, and Justus von Dohnányi, alongside child actors Naila Schuberth and Sammy Schrein. The series is available to stream now on Netflix.
