Sanctuary

Hel receives an invitation to visit her estranged twin Siri at an exclusive residential sanatorium set against the idyllic setting of the Italian Alps. Tension soon rises when Hel refuses Siri’s plea for help in taking care of some business by swapping places with her for a few days. Much to her horror, Hel wakes up the next day to find Siri gone. She soon realizes that Siri isn’t coming back, and that the clinic is far from a place of recovery.

Sanctuary (2019) is a Swedish-produced psychological thriller miniseries created for C More First, running eight episodes of roughly 45 minutes each. Josefin Asplund plays Helena, who is called Hel, an estranged woman drawn to an exclusive residential sanatorium in the Italian Alps to see her identical twin Siri. When Hel refuses Siri's plea to swap places with her for a few days, she wakes to find her sister gone and begins to suspect the clinic is nothing like the place of recovery it advertises. Her investigation pushes her against staff figures such as Dr. Kowalska (Agnieszka Grochowska) and Dr. Silva (Philip Arditti), while a fragile bond with Perky (Nathalie Rapti Gomez) becomes a source of both help and doubt. The engine of the story is Hel's struggle to uncover what happened to her sister while keeping her own identity from being absorbed into someone else's. Each episode tightens the grip of the mystery, with the picturesque mountain setting cutting against the mounting dread. Set in a present-day Alpine resort, the series moves at a measured pace through a contained, single-season arc. Its mood is eerie and claustrophobic, with paranoia building beneath polished surfaces. Fans of Shutter Island, Lore and The Killing will find resonance in its slow burn unease and identity-driven suspense.

• Shutter Islandpsychological thriller unease, isolated institution with sinister undercurrents, twin identity intrigue
• Loreslow burn psychological dread, secretive clinic setting, mounting paranoia
• The Killingcontained mystery, eerie isolated setting, identity-driven suspense

Release Date

2019-05-30

Episode runtime

45 min

Rating

6.7 / 10 (38)

What is Sanctuary about?

A woman who agrees to swap places with her estranged twin at an Alpine sanatorium discovers her sister has vanished and the clinic is not what it seems.

What is Sanctuary like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sanctuary as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Sanctuary violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Sanctuary as mild.

Which shows are like Sanctuary?

Shows with a similar feel include Shutter Island, Lore, and The Killing.

How long is Sanctuary?

Sanctuary: 1 season, 8 episodes.

Is Sanctuary still running?

No, Sanctuary has ended.

Where can I watch Sanctuary?

In United States, Sanctuary is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Fandango At Home.