Imagine the glorious country of Switzerland and you think of what? Stunning mountain vitas? Roger Federer? Luxury chocolatiers? All entirely understandable. But gritty crime thrillers? No, surely not? But Sasha might just change your mind on that.
If you want to avoid spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Anne Dupraz, played quite superbly by Sophie Broustal, has shot an unarmed man. That’s where we start. She is arrested, handcuffed and taken back to the police station. But here’s where it gets interesting, because Anne happens to be a highly regarded prosecutor in Geneva, so there’s all sorts of dynamics with the police and the authorities.
During her police interview, she freely admits her guilt – but not her reasoning. What is her relationship to the victim (who is still alive, incidentally) and why did she shoot him?
The story is revealed in a series of flashbacks; both in the days leading up to the shooting, and also from Anne’s teenage years, where we start to see a little about the relationship between her and the man who is now fighting for his life in the back of an ambulance. He, we learn later, is well-known to the authorities as a kingpin in the world of prostitution and the seedy underworld – the police were on the verge of paying him a visit, when Anne got there first.
Also worth noting is the role played by Anne’s daughter, Elsa, played by Estelle Bridet (who won the Special Jury Prize at the Schweizer Fernsehfilmpreis in 2022 for her performance). She’s a superb figure-skater who has noticed a change in her mother’s behaviour during the days leading up to major championship. Could her mother’s mood swings be something to do with the shooting, and what caused her to change so much in such a few days?
Using the technique of showing you the outcome of the crime from the onset is an interesting one. It engages you immediately and makes this very much a whydunit rather than a whodunit. Anne is a likeable woman, despite her out-of-character felony, so you’re immediately invested in wanting to know why she did what she did.
And interestingly, this show doesn’t exploit any benefits of its geography – the Swiss landscape isn’t really a factor in making this such a pleasurable view. Instead, it’s all about superb characterization, a captivating plot, a great cast and an excellent script. Like a Swiss muesli, all the choice ingredients are there.
‘Sacha’ is just brilliant – it has grabbed my attention after just one episode (there are six in total to enjoy) and I’m eager to know the full story of Anne’s fall from grace. Essential viewing from the fine people at Walter Presents.
Walter Presents: ‘Sacha’ is available as a full boxset on All 4 via Walter Presents now.
