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Dolmen

Dolmen

TV Series · 2005 · 11 people

Mystery, crime and romance meet in Dolmen, a French miniseries from 2005. Its six episodes run about 90 minutes each, making it a single self-contained story. It first aired on TF1 between 13 June and 18 July 2005, and in the same weeks Belgium's RTL-TVI and Switzerland's TSR also screened it. Nicole Jamet and Marie-Anne Le Pezennec wrote it, and Didier Albert directed.

The story unfolds on Ty Kern, a craggy island off the Brittany coast. Police officer Marie Kermeur comes home to marry Christian, the man she grew up alongside there. Before long the wedding preparations turn into funeral arrangements, as a run of strange, nightmarish events takes hold of the island. Ingrid Chauvin heads the cast, joined by Bruno Madinier, Yves Rénier, Georges Wilson, Xavier Deluc, Martine Sarcey, Jean-Louis Foulquier, Hippolyte Girardot, Manuel Gélin and Micky Sébastian.

The series travelled beyond France: Quebec viewers saw it on Mystère from 27 October 2006, and German audiences watched it on RTL II in late 2006, in three parts, as Dolmen – Das Sakrileg der Steine. It was repeated on 6ter from 20 July 2024 and can also be streamed on TF1+.

DirectorDidier Albert
NetworkTF1

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Yves Rénier Yves Rénier Film actor · died at 78 Georges Wilson Georges Wilson Film actor · died at 88 Ingrid Chauvin Bruno Madinier Xavier Deluc Martine Sarcey Jean-Louis Foulquier Hippolyte Girardot Manuel Gélin Micky Sébastian Nicole Croisille

Through different eyes

Series Binger A series devotee tracking character arcs, cast chemistry and season pacing.

A closed six-episode story is good news for anyone tired of shows that drag on for seasons: a narrative with a clear beginning, middle and end. Marie returning to the island as both police officer and bride gives the character a neat duality from the start; her job and her marriage are tested in the same place at the same time. Still, episodes running about an hour and a half each make the format a little heavy, and the pace can sag in the switches between the romance thread and the mystery thread. It suits a weekend binge, but plan for the time each episode takes.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

The setup is solid: a craggy island off Brittany, an upcoming wedding and preparations that soon turn into a funeral. There are few better foundations for tension. The run of strange events keeps curiosity alive. But this is no action series; the space given to romance and atmosphere slows the pace of events. Anyone hoping for explosions and chases will be disappointed, while those who love solving a mystery will have a good time.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Dolmen's strongest card is its setting: a craggy island off Brittany naturally provides the closed world the mystery genre needs and accompanies the story almost like a character. Nicole Jamet and Marie-Anne Le Pezennec's script tries to hold three genres together: mystery, crime and romance. That blend is a tempting formula for television, but it carries a risk; when the romantic drama takes over, the investigation loses its edge, and when the mystery takes over, the relationships feel rushed. In my view Didier Albert's direction sometimes struggles to strike that balance. Still, the fact that it was repeated years after its first run suggests it earned a lasting place with genre audiences.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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