Anthracite (TV series)

Background and production

Anthracite was Netflix's first ecologically sensitive production, employing an eco-referrent to measure its climate impact. Netflix donated 1% of the carbon cost to environmental groups. The series is loosely based on the Order of the Solar Temple, responsible for the December 1995 massacre in Isère and other mass suicides killing 74 people. However, the cult, village, and characters are entirely fictional.

Reception

Stephanie Morgan of Common Sense Media gave the series two stars, criticizing its poor dialogue and storytelling, with jarring portrayals of violence overshadowing the mystery. Cécile Lecoultre of 24 heures called it confused and cliché, finding its similarities to the Solar Temple anecdotal outside morbidly trashy ritual sequences. Joel Keller of Decider tentatively recommended it, praising its mystery but noting tonal quirkiness between a cult thriller and a silly treatise on web sleuths. Several reviews praised the mountainous setting's visual appeal.

Did You Know?

• The series is set in the fictional town of Lévionna in the French Alps.
• The plot follows journalist Solal Heilman's disappearance and his daughter Ida's search.
• The fictional cult was active in Lévionna thirty years before the story, in 1994.