A unique refugee crisis
8 Days builds in an ironic twist to the story of the potential destruction of humanity. While the entire planet will suffer unknown consequences when a giant meteor strikes, Europe is ground zero which will mean definite death for all who remain there. The very countries that determine the fate of refugees via policies that dictate whether they will accept them or not, are now in a race against time to flee their own nations.
Getting out of the impact zone will come down to the kindness of safer countries such as Russia and the United States opening their borders to take them in. But Russia has already closed its borders, and getting to the US is proving somewhat problematic and rather dangerous with the current situation going down in the galaxy.
The countdown to impact is on, and religious ceremony abounds. Source: SBS
Nowhere to run
Set in Berlin, this brand-new German series counts down the last 8 Days of life before the 60km-wide meteor hits Earth – each of the eight episodes taking us a day closer to impact.
The series focuses on the plight of the Steiner family, Susanne (Christiane Paul, Counterpart) and Uli (Mark Waschke, Dark) who are trying to flee Berlin and head east with their children Leonie (Lena Klenke, Babylon Berlin) and Jonas (Claude Heinrich, Berlin Station) before the guaranteed catastrophe.
Susanne’s brother, Hermann (Fabian Hinrichs) is an emerging politician who is trying to score himself and his pregnant girlfriend Marion (Nora von Waldstätten, The Team) two of the last plane tickets to the USA. Meanwhile, a friend of Leonie’s, Nora (Luisa-Céline Gaffron) escapes from the self-made bunker where she is being held by her father Klaus (Devid Striesow, Tatort) to try and get to Leonie.
The fight to flee is on. Source: SBS
No consequences
8 Days is not about the heroics of women and men who fight against the destruction of humanity. It’s more about how little humanity is actually left when there are no longer any consequences for people’s actions – the decay of society before the bang.
This is the moment of vindication for all doomsday preppers. They have built their own bunkers and don’t have to rely on the government lotteries that are allocating the small and inadequate number of leftover WW2 bunkers out to those citizens with winning numbers.
Religious ceremony makes its presence known in a big, noisy and a tad scary way. But so too does panic, drug use, indiscriminate sex and murder. Values and societal rules that were once held in high regard have been buried under anarchy. But along with this are stories of reconciliation with the past, and the secrets held within the family whose lives the series follows.
8 Days was created by Rafael Parente and Peter Kocyla and premiered at The Berlin International Film Festival in February 2019. Breathtaking cinematography and a chillingly beautiful soundtrack from David Reichelt ensure this series will leave a haunting impression long after the credits roll.
The Steiners on the run. Source: SBS
Watch 8 Days from 23 May at SBS On Demand.
