Ares is a Dutch-language and Dutch-produced series, released as a Netflix original on January 17th, 2020. In a tightly-written eight-episode season, with each episode about half an hour-long, Ares definitely has its share of scares. Most of them come from the things human beings do to themselves and each other.

Toeing the line between paranormal horror and psychological drama, the series follows Rosa Steenwijk, a first-year medical student navigating a challenging home life and an ambition to prove herself not just worthy but exceptional. This pursuit leads her into the grasp of a secret society with something dark to hide. Granted, this is far from an uncommon narrative in TV and movies and the seeming lack of originality has been part of what’s netted the series mixed reviews.

However, Ares situates a biracial woman at its core. This offers something new to the narrative as Rosa navigates her parents’ marriage, her mother’s mental illness, and experiences her identity amidst a wash of wealthy, white, neurotypical faces.

Jade Olieberg brings an impressive depth and range to Rosa’s character. She seamlessly weaves between curiosity, drive, passion, and genuine fear and strain, as the tension around her creeps inexorably upward. Rosa’s relationship with best friend Jacob (Tobias Kersloot), though strained and fraught by circumstances, is but one of several avenues through which Olieberg demonstrates her acting chops. She balances Rosa’s genuine care and concern for him, with Rosa sticking to her guns on what she wants for herself and refusing to compromise on her needs or her personality for his benefit.

Some of Ares’ reviews have suggested that the secondary cast is underwritten or bland next to Rosa, but I’d have to disagree. While they are secondary for a reason, this is, after all, Rosa’s story, I wonder if the particular inflections of the script may be getting lost on some international audiences.

It bears mentioning at this point that I grew up in The Netherlands, so I didn’t have much of a language barrier between me and the series. Though the subtitles helped in places as my Dutch is a little rusty, there were also several instances where the translation into English stripped out the nuance of what was actually being said. I have to wonder if people might have connected more with the secondary cast with a closer translation on hand.

Speaking of the secondary cast, I was particularly impressed by Frieda Barnhard, as Fleur Borms, in her turn from self-doubting wallflower to biting anger and grief. Lisa Smit’s Carmen Zwanenburg also drew me more than I initially expected, as her mysterious mean girl gives way to a compelling picture of someone using that guise to cover for a thinly-veiled but growing desperation.

It says a great deal that I only have one major critique of Ares to date and that pertains solely to its soundtrack. While the score is certainly tense and atmospheric, I felt it would have been more effective if it was used more sparingly. Scenes in Ares that are nearly silent save for footsteps on a marble floor or a phone buzzing against a hardwood table are crisp and unsettling. Moments, when the show’s score needed to be tense, would have packed more of a punch if it was allowed to be silent more often.

All in all, though, Ares provides a compelling character study and a confronting look at the imperialist history of a country often perceived as liberal and tolerant, in the guise of a genre piece. I for one will be keeping my fingers crossed for a second season.

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Ares

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Impressive Cast
• Creative Take on a Familiar Story
• Great Sets and Scenery

Cons

• Overuses Music at Times