'Dark' creators return with new mystery: '1899'

"1899" is filled with mysteries, just like the previous series co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese: Netflix's first original German-language hit, "Dark," left fans speculating for three seasons until the thriller reached its conclusion in 2020.

The couple's new production, which was mainly shot in a studio in Potsdam, will be released on Netflix on November 17.

Set at the end of the 19th century, "1899" follows a group of people migrating from Europe to the New World on the ship Kerberos. Their voyage takes an ominous turn when they encounter the Prometheus, a ship that disappeared without a trace a few months earlier.

What happened to the Prometheus? Where are the almost 1,500 people who were on board? And what are the passengers of the Kerberos, and not least its captain, hiding?

The answers to all these questions are not quickly revealed in the series.

Even the actors were kept in the dark about certain aspects of the plot during the shoot: "Bo and Jantje, they told me about many themes, a lot of different layers and things in the unconscious of my character," says lead actress Emily Beecham. "But I was also constantly asking them questions."

A tip for anyone who wants a little head start on solving the mysteries: Hands off the "Skip Intro" option.

"We're huge fans of title sequences," Baran bo Odar, who directed all eight episodes of the first season, told DW. "A title sequence is a promise that draws the viewer in." 

The intro of "1899" has it all. The animated sequence features the ships, as well as the characters' faces and decisive moments in their lives flowing into one another to the sound of the Jefferson Airplane song, "White Rabbit."

"1899" makes it clear right from the start that nothing is the way it seems at first glance. At the same time, there is an important message for the rest of the series in the intro, says the director: "Look closely, otherwise you'll miss something."

Escaping the past?

Death quickly starts hitting Kerberos. There are also hallucinations (or are they flashbacks?), inexplicable weather phenomena and a growing feeling among the passengers that it would have been better if the Prometheus had been left to her fate in the Atlantic.

"It's such a mysterious, intriguing, really compelling show," says actor Andreas Pietschmann, already known by "Dark" fans as time traveler Jonas Kahnwald. In "1899" he plays the veteran captain of the Kerberos, Eyk Larsen, who is struggling with severe trauma.

That actually applies to all the passengers on the Kerberos: No matter their country of origin or their travel class, they are all united by a dark past. Whether due to crime or tragic loss, all protagonists happen to be in "a very difficult place in their lives," says Miguel Bernardeau, who plays the wealthy traveler Angel. They hope to escape from that place, the actor adds.

But it quickly becomes clear that attempting to flee the past is hopeless. The encounter with the Promotheus gradually brings the different passengers' secrets to light. "Even the birds up there have their own prison," notes one passenger in Episode Two, while watching the seagulls circling overhead. "They can't escape who they are. And neither can we."

An adventure in 10 languages

A unique feature of "1899" is the variety of languages in the series. People from all over the world come together on the migrant ship, embodied by an international cast. In most conversations, they use their mother tongue. Those who watch the series in the original language with subtitles will hear German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Polish, Danish, Norwegian, Cantonese and Japanese.

Some of the travelers can communicate in English. But even in those scenes, there are always moments when they return to their mother tongue to express their deepest desires or fears — knowing very well that the other person doesn't understand them.

"It was great to write those scenes showing people who actually talk past each other but still have the ability to totally reveal themselves," says Friese, who wrote the screenplay for all eight episodes of the first season. "It gives you freedom when you can say something and the other person doesn't understand it, but still catches the essence of it. It almost has a spiritual dimension."

In the dubbed versions, when all characters speak German, for example, this special effect is completely lost, even though some of the dialogue was rewritten to compensate. This is a series to watch with subtitles.

Love without words

Despite the language barriers, romantic relationships develop on board. Maciej Musial plays Olek, a Polish worker who toils in the engine room of the Kerberos and falls in love with a passenger who doesn't speak his language.

"We had to communicate on different levels," says Musial of the two characters' relationship. "When you don't understand the other, you just keep looking and observing them very carefully. That creates even more connection because you're present with the other person."

Whether Germany, Poland or Spain, ultimately it is irrelevant which country the travelers come from. Gradually they realize that the things human beings have in common are much more important than what separates them.

As actor Miguel Bernardeau puts it: "I think the connection between us goes much deeper than just language."

The first season of "1899" starts on November 17, 2022 on Netflix.

This article was originally written in German.