Dear Child is so disturbing that 2 stars weren’t allowed to find out what it was really about

Dear Child, a German series that has been running on Netflix since September 7th, 2023, is quite something. The exciting thriller is an adaptation of Romy Hausmann’s best-selling novel of the same name, which made waves when it was published in 2019. Because: Dear child begins where other kidnapping stories end.

A young woman (Kim Riedle) manages to escape from captivity by a psychopath after years. She lived with two children in a sealed house where she had to play family under strict rules. But it quickly becomes clear that the terror is far from over – and as the series title suggests, children play an important role in it.

What’s special about the new Netflix production is not only the exciting story full of shocking twists, but also the conditions under which the 6-part miniseries was created. Because how do you shoot a psychological thriller with such heavy subject matter? without lastingly traumatizing the child actors aged eight and ten?

Interview with the people responsible for Dear Child: That was particularly challenging while filming on Netflix

We asked the creative minds behind the series. On the occasion of the Netflix launch, Isabel Kleefeld and Julian Pörksen, who are responsible for the scripts and direction, gave us some exciting insights into the development and filming ofLiebes Kind in an interview. Some creative solutions had to be found, especially to protect the child stars.

Watch the long trailer for season 1 of Dear Child on Netflix here:

Moviepilot: Was there anything from the template that was particularly tricky to implement?

Isabel Kleefeld and Julian Pörksen: Of course there are obvious hurdles in an adaptation: inner monologues and processes, thoughts and feelings have to be transferred into the film. But actions themselves can also be a problem. An example: In Romy Hausmann’s novel there is a perpetrator who is active from the beginning, but whose identity is only revealed in the last act of the novel.

Dear Child plays with several suspects at the same time. And if the book says what ‘he’ does and how ‘he’ behaves, then it works very well in the novel form, it remains exciting and mysterious. However, if you give ‘him’ a face from the start in the series, then the viewer sees who he is – and also who he is not. That would have ruined the thrill.

What were the biggest challenges for you while filming?

Designing the shooting schedule, the motif situation and the daily shooting in such a way that
legitimate requirements for filming with children be respected. Naila Schuberth, who plays Hannah, was ten years old at the time of filming and Sammy Schrein, Jonathan, was only eight years old. In this age group, direct working time is limited to three hours with breaks that must be strictly adhered to and attendance on set is limited to a total of 5 hours.

That alone leads to the question: What do you shoot in the other half of the day without generating too many set-ups and dismantling, motif moves and acting days? And then of course: filming such a material with children. This is also why parents, children’s coaches and media education specialists accompanied us through the preparation and filming. We were in constant communication.

The young stars of the Netflix series were given children’s scripts – for an important reason

You prepared special scripts for the child actors. Why was that necessary?

Because The psychological thriller genre is not suitable for children of this age. We therefore came up with the idea of ​​writing an additional, so-called “children’s script”, a parallel version that is suitable for children. We then cross-checked them with the coach and the media education specialist before the children received “their own script”. Of course, the parents had already received the actual scripts well in advance.

Is this standard when shooting dark material or rather unusual?

No idea. It definitely turned out to be extremely helpful for us, also for the children’s play, because in the children’s script we were able to address exactly the subjective perspective and emotional attitude that Hannah and Jonathan have towards the entire event, i.e. their inner world .

Did the children know that they were given different scripts?

Clear. We explained to them that there was one version of the script specifically for their characters and another for the adult roles, and that within the series there were areas for adults and areas for children. Just like in real life.

How exactly did these scripts differ from the “normal” scripts?

In the children’s version, the children’s dialogues and actions are embedded in a modified, age-appropriate context, but are still self-contained and logical. An example: The man who imprisons his family is a psychopath and a total control freak. When he enters the room, everyone has to line up and show him their hands. In the children’s book he is an extremely anxious father who is far too worried about his family and wants to avoid anyone getting hurt at all costs. And also has a strong obsession with hygiene.

Psychological terror and murder: The stars ofLiebes Kind are not yet allowed to watch the Netflix series

Was there a scene that particularly concerned you from a youth protection perspective?

For more sensitive scenes, we first turned everything towards the children, as it was in the children’s script. And only after the children had left the set did we shoot the remaining shots. Of course, this requires that you react in advance with the resolution, i.e. by splitting a scene into individual shots.

Furthermore, all adults who had scenes together with the children generally only worked with the children’s script version on set. The one-sentence synopses of the respective scenes were also based on the children’s book in the daily disposition. And Conversations that were not intended for children’s ears, were not conducted in the presence of both of them. I was surprised at how well it worked and impressed at how considerate everyone was.

What was the job of the children’s coach on set and were there moments when you were particularly happy that she was there?

The work of the children’s coach began long before the actual shooting. In our case, she accompanied the children before, during and after the shooting. The two children got to know everyone involved weeks in advance, were also present at mask rehearsals to see how wounds are made, and were able to follow the construction of the house in the studio.

Then, well before shooting began, each scene involving the children was rehearsed. Just like during the actual shooting, everything always together with the really fantastic children’s coach. She also “refreshed” every scene with the children before the actual day of filming and was also the contact person for all matters during filming.

Apart from specific script adaptations: how do you shoot a series about such dark topics with children without traumatizing them?

By setting and explaining the topics that are reasonable for children in a child-friendly context. An extremely experienced media education specialist was present throughout the preparations, filming and follow-up, whose advice was a great help in ensuring that the entire environment was as child-friendly as possible. Among other things, she made sure that prescribed filming and break times were observed.

Also after the actual filming there are still meetings and follow-up talks, also so that the contact for the children does not break off so abruptly. Now, a year after filming and shortly before the launch, we are talking to the children in more detail about the story. Also so that after the launch, the two of them are not suddenly confronted with comments that they cannot classify or that could overwhelm them. Of course, the two of them are not allowed to watch the series yet.

Not only dear child: These are the 15 best series starts in September on Netflix and Co.

Do you need more fresh streaming tips? In the monthly preview, we’ll bring you closer to the most exciting September series, which you can stream on Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+, among others:

We have checked the long starting lists of the streaming services and are introducing you to the 15 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast Streamgesucht. Included is Netflix’s farewell to Sex Education and the return of the acclaimed Apple series The Morning Show. Amazon also has a John Wick series ready for us and is sending the great fantasy series The Wheel of Time into its second season.