Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
French series has drama, cursing, drugs, sex work, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Notre-Dame
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Inspired by true events, NOTRE-DAME (aka Notre-Dame: La nuit du feu) is a limited French dramatic series featuring stories revolving around the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire that broke out in the wooden rafters just under the ancient cathedral's roof on April 15, 2019. The Paris Fire Brigade, headed up by Fire Chief General Ducort (Roschdy Zem), was tasked with fighting the fire in a way that would preserve as much of the building as possible. But Ducort, who lost his firefighter son Ben (played by Victor Belmondo) two months earlier, is concerned about pushing his team to take too many risks. Ben's girlfriend and rookie firefighter Alice (Megan Northam), who was with him when he died, is returning to active duty despite the reservations expressed by training officer Sergeant Chief Taupin (Corentin Fila) and her commanding officer, Colonel Veronique Varese (Caroline Proust). While they are trying to figure out how to extinguish the blaze, Bassen (Kassem Al Khoja), one of the construction workers from the cathedral site, is following a woman he watches from work, and restaurant owner Max (Simon Abkarian) is trying to find his estranged daughter (Marie Zabukovec) so the she can see her dying mother. As the fire spreads, journalist Elena (Alice Isaaz) is trying to find her way into the cathedral to get exclusive video footage. It's a long and harrowing night, and one that none of them will ever forget.
Is It Any Good?
The long and sometimes maudlin series uses the catastrophic Notre-Dame Cathedral fire as the backdrop for a range of intersecting fictional story lines about people fighting their own battles throughout that same evening. Partially based on the book La Nuit De Notre-Dame, to which members of the Paris Fire Brigade contributed, it offers dramatic interpretations of the strategies firefighters used to save as much of the ancient church as possible. However, these scenes are overshadowed by the invented plot lines, despite the fact that many of them are woefully underdeveloped. Granted, if you put these imperfections aside, you'll find that Notre-Dame also offers some emotional examples of human connection. But chances are that viewers will be be left wanting to know more about the characters and what's happening in their lives.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire. What unique challenges did firefighters face when trying to put it out? What parts of the church were they able to save? Is it being rebuilt?
How do each of the main characters in Notre-Dame connect with one another? To the fire? Are all the connections presented in a way that makes them equally significant?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 19, 2022
- Cast : Roschdy Zem , Simon Abkarian , Caroline Proust
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 20, 2022
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