Just One More Episode - Le Chalet

Ollie Little and Sybilla Hamilton

Welcome back to Just One More Episode where Ollie Little and I, Sybilla Hamilton, discuss foreign language TV series with an unhealthy level of addiction, hence the name. This week’s series is Le Chalet which we have been talking about reviewing since the start of term, but after one essay crisis too many at my end, is coming to you in week 7.

However, we can attest it was well worth the wait. This dark French thriller is extremely addictive and at only six episodes we highly recommend you watch it, even in term time! What we loved was how, in this very claustrophobic village hidden away in the French Alps, the tension just keeps on building and building. Within minutes of starting the first episode, the only way out of the village, a bridge, is destroyed by a falling boulder. Before long, normal social rules collapse, people die, and any hope for peace and quiet goes out the window. Inside the village hide some very dodgy characters, a lot of pent-up emotions, and an insidious secret from twenty years ago – what could possibly go wrong? 

This series was exactly the type we’d hoped to discover over the course of this podcast – an obscure French one that has not received the international attention it deserves. However, it is not without its flaws which we discuss alongside the filmmaking, social messages, music and more. Although we didn’t manage to mention the sheer number of shotguns that feature in the short series, if you’re looking for a lockdown drinking game, it’s a strong contender. 

Join us next time for an episode rife with questions of Catalan identity and police brutality as we take a look at the 2020 drama La mort de Guillem. We will also be joined by our second guest speaker, Hannah Sherry, a fellow Fitz MMLer in her final year.