“I will murder my client...” was perhaps taken too seriously by Murder Mindfully which came in timely to complement the theme for World Mental Health Day 2024, “it is time to prioritise mental health in the workplace.” As workplaces continue to face growing challenges of stress, burnout and work-life imbalance, the show provides a darkly comedic exploration of how overwhelming professional pressures can take a toll on mental health.

Through the protagonist’s journey, Murder Mindfully underscores the need to address mental well-being at work, highlighting the importance of finding healthier ways to cope with stress and maintain personal balance. Perhaps, if the protagonist could have had a timely mindfulness session it would not have evolved into its dark sister: murder.

Netflix’s latest German import, AchtsamMorden, is a gripping exploration of the chaotic collision between mindfulness and mayhem. Balancing dark humour with biting social commentary, the series follows BjörnDiemel, a high-powered lawyer trapped between the demands of his ruthless mob boss client and the resulting strained family life. Played masterfully by Tom Schilling who starred in Never Look Away, Björn embodies the modern professional: overworked, overstressed and one inconvenient phone call away from a meltdown. The twist? His path to tranquillity is paved with, quite literally, bodies.

The premise of Murder Mindfully may sound familiar, with echoes of Dexter and Barry, yet it offers its own unique twist. Björn is introduced as a man unravelling at the seams, agonised by his mind, and at the brink of losing himself to madness - sacrificing personal relationships for a career that demands total submission. His wife Katharina, played by Emily Cox, pushes him to attend a mindfulness seminar to salvage their crumbling marriage and his bond with their young daughter Emily.

What begins as a reluctant exercise in deep breathing quickly becomes an outlet for Björn’s suppressed frustrations. In a twist of dark irony, mindfulness, a practice meant to cultivate peace, awakens Björn’s most violent instincts. When faced with the suffocating demands of his mob boss client, Dragan Sergowicz, played by SaschaGeršak, chilling yet buffoonish, Björn discovers that achieving balance in life sometimes means eliminating the scales altogether.

At its heart, Murder Mindfully is more than a dark comedy; it’s a gnawing and scathing critique of the pressures faced by professionals in high-stakes careers. Björn’s descent into vigilantism is a hyperbolic reflection of real-world burnout, a phenomenon well-documented in psychological literature. Jobs requiring constant high-pressure decision-making like law, medicine or law enforcement often lead to chronic stress, emotional exhaustion and, in extreme cases, ethical erosion.

Björn’s life epitomises the ‘always-on’ culture, where boundaries between work and personal life blur. His inability to escape the clutches of Dragan reflects a deeper psychological truth: when a profession dominates one’s identity, even leisure becomes contaminated by stress. The show captures this brilliantly, particularly in a scene where Björn, while supposed to be spending quality time with his daughter, is instead called to clean up one of Dragan’s messes, both metaphorically and literally.

The narrative taps into the psychological principle of role conflict, where competing responsibilities, for instance, being a good lawyer and being a good father, create cognitive dissonance. Left to battle this dissociation from who he is, Björn’s mindfulness becomes a radical solution to reclaim his life. But instead of meditating his way to peace, he meditates his way to murder.

From a technical standpoint, Murder Mindfully is a visual treat. The cinematography captures the duality of Björn’s existence, juxtaposing serene German landscapes with scenes of visceral violence. A standout moment involves Björn disposing of a body by feeding it into a wood chipper, the blood cascading like macabre art against the backdrop of a tranquil lakeside. The deliberate contrast heightens the show’s absurdity, reminding viewers that even the most peaceful settings can conceal profound darkness.

The soundtrack deserves special mention. Seamlessly weaving traditional orchestral melodies with unsettling electronic beats, this auditory blend mirrors Björn’s internal conflict: the yearning for order amidst chaos.

Tom Schilling’s portrayal of Björn is the linchpin of the series. His ability to oscillate between hapless victim and calculated killer adds depth to a character that could have easily been one-dimensional. Schilling’s understated delivery, paired with his knack for physical comedy, makes Björn both relatable and deeply unsettling.

SaschaGeršak shines as Dragan, the egotistical crime boss whose incompetence is as menacing as it is comedic. Emily Cox’s Katharina brings a grounded realism to the show, serving as a poignant reminder of what’s at stake for Björn. Meanwhile, PamukPilavci’s portrayal of Emily injects innocence into the series. Her presence is a constant reminder of Björn’s initial motivation.

Beyond its plot twists and gallows humour, Murder Mindfully dives into ethical grey areas. It asks viewers to ponder uncomfortable questions: can murder ever be justified if it’s in the service of self-preservation or protecting loved ones, especially if you’re a pawn of the law itself? Is mindfulness, when stripped of its ethical foundations, merely a tool for rationalising selfishness?

The series does not preach or offer easy answers. Instead, it challenges us to confront complicity in a world where moral boundaries are increasingly fluid. Watching Björn justify his actions feels unsettlingly familiar, an exaggerated reflection of how we rationalise questionable choices in our own lives.

At just eight half-hour episodes, Murder Mindfully is tailor-made for binge-watching. Its tight pacing ensures no scene feels wasted, each cliffhanger pulling viewers deeper into Björn’s web of lies. The dark humour, while not laugh-out-loud funny, is razor-sharp, cutting through the tension with precision.

Murder Mindfully is a gem of a show from Netflix. Whether you enjoy criminal dramas, dark comedy or psychological moral investigations, this series offers something for you. It’s more than simply a spectacle; it’s an experience that will leave you struggling to decide how far you’d go for peace of mind.

Verdict: Stream it. Just don’t expect to meditate your way out of the psychological aftershocks.

The writer has a degree in psychology with a minor in mass communication. She can be reached at ukmaryam2 @gmail.com