Gevoel voor Tumor (2018)

Phew: the series is better than the title.

A mix of drama and humor is, in my opinion, the best approach for a series about cancer. So you don't have to fear a sentimental dragon, although it remains a fierce series that does not shy away from various taboos about cancer. With a joke if possible, in a serious way if necessary. Those who may consider themselves lucky and who are not familiar with the disease, also learn a few things.

However, the series also has some flaws. In this way the screenwriters do not look at a cliché more or less. From the collision in the first episode you know that something is going to bloom between Tristan and Hanne. You only see this in movies and series. I also think it's a shame that we look at the entire suffering through the eyes of someone who really has everything to lose. Because yes, in advance Tristan is a perfect boy who imagines himself the king of the world (or at least of Ghent and surroundings). And of course the illness makes him a better person. You can sometimes see it coming from miles away.

Furthermore, the series tries a little too hard to be taken from life. The reason is easy to guess: to convince viewers that cancer can affect anyone. Tristan's entourage, however, behaves in such a typically Flemish manner that at times it starts to look like a caricature. Especially the quarrel between the parents seems straight out of an episode of Home.

Another thing that this series has in common with a soap is that interlude. Anyone living in Flanders will feel that something like this doesn't come across as 100% authentic. My opinion on this is simple: a series with balls dares to choose a dialect.

What is positive is the way in which everything is portrayed: atmospheric and occasionally even flashy. Don't expect Darren Aronofsky style, but it does feel fresh for a Sunday evening series.

3*

Translated from Dutch · View original