By Anees Aref.
Audiences usually averse to non-English language fare should find much to enjoy….”
Think again before joining a Belgian summer camp. A lot of trouble is brewing for the young scouts in the new suspenser Coyotes, a Belgian-Luxembourg produced series where youthful tensions and unsavory adult supervision clash over a stash of ill-gotten diamonds.
Created by Vincent Lavachery, Axel Du Bus, Anne-Lise Morin, and Christophe Beaujean, the six-episode thriller follows a group of young scouts at a camp in the Belgian village of Warnaffe, which sits aside a luxurious mansion occupied by single mom Anne-Francoise (played by Valerie Bodson) and her moody daughter Marie (Dara Tombroff). Our heroes come from the “Coyotes” squad, including Kevin (Louka Minnella), whose has some serious family issues with dad and older brother Doberman (who inconveniently is also a camp supervisor). Kevin’s fellow coyotes include his buddy Furet, squad leader Mangouste, the wisecracking Mouss, and the devoutly catholic Panda. Our plot kicks in when Kevin stumbles into the local town looking to score some weed, and by night’s end scores a lot of problems instead, including Marie, said diamonds, and a corpse to boot. Turns out these diamonds – and a guy named Toni–have some interested parties hot on the trail.
Coyotes sets up a lot of moving parts, with a large ensemble of characters and many plot threads. The first few episodes (made available for review) are entertaining enough, though hampered by unlikeable characters. The coyotes seem to be a bunch of moody brats, save for the affable Mousse. Kevin is understandably in a bad mood, Mangouste thinks she’s very important, Feret is well-intentioned but dour, and Panda is devoutly annoying or annoyingly devout. Marie likes to brood and criticize mom. Then there’s the villainous Marc and his “family”, eagerly trying to recover the lost diamonds on behalf of the “Sikh mafia” based out of India. They’re growing impatient over Marc’s delay.
Very enjoyable throughout is a subplot involving the local priest Father Julek, who in between confessions carries on a little romantic tryst with the lady police officer Martine. They provide endearing humor in contrast to the other brooding or brutish customers we spend our time with. There’s a hilarious moment when Father Julek receives a phone call in a very compromising position, great stuff.
Whether reflective of Belgian social realities or not, it’s kind of nice to see these various people intermingle in light of ongoing crises over migration in the European Union and elsewhere.”
The production is well crafted by directors Jacques Molitor and Gary Seghers, along with a scenic backdrop, crisp camerawork, and a hip musical score by Daniel Offerman. The actors are well cast, with several newcomers amongst the young protagonists. Anas El Marcouchi stands out as Mousse, with his quick wit and comic timing. Coyotes diverse set of characters reminds us how ethnically mixed European countries like Belgium are in our age, with Sikh and Arab descended actors amongst others peopling the ensemble. Whether reflective of Belgian social realities or not, it’s kind of nice to see these various people intermingle in light of ongoing crises over migration in the European Union and elsewhere. The Sikh mafia of the story further illustrates the international nature of everyday European life.
It’s an odd show in a way. On the surface it appears to be a suspenseful coming-of-age tale, though I’m not sure how much our young heroes actually grow up so much as have a really bad week. The story is told with straight-faced seriousness, though there are times where a dark comic approach may have been more fruitful. Marc’s family aren’t the most able companions, and have moments that feel as if they wandered out of a Coen brothers’ film. That being said, the show gets progressively better as it moves along, building with confident momentum to a rather bloody climax and some surprising turns. It’s got good villains (Marc always seems to have a piece of meat in his hand, and the Sikh hitman is pretty good with a knife), and develops a nice comradery amongst the coyotes. Audiences usually averse to non-English language fare should find much to enjoy here.
Coyotes is currently streaming on Netflix.
Anees Aref is a writer on film, history, and politics based in the Los Angeles area who has published abroad as well as in the United States.
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