Eager for notoriety, a young mother throws her 6-year-old granddaughter Kimmy to the Internet. The child has become a real star of social networks with her channel “Happy recreation”, followed by millions of spectators where we see her unwrapping dozens of gifts offered by brands… Until the day she is kidnapped at the bottom of his building.
A real shock wave for his community. The media took up the matter. Brigade Leader at the SDPJ, Sara, a battered and silent young woman who knows nothing about the cruel and chilling virtual world, is entrusted with the file. She knows she has very little time. Obsessed with the idea of saving the little girl, she will immerse herself in this extraordinary investigation and in the intimacy of this family. In particular, she becomes very close to Mélanie, the mother of the child who attracts and destabilizes her.
Like the wonderful eponymous novel by Delphine de Vigan (great success in booksellers with more than 300,000 copies sold) from which it was freely inspired, the mini-series which arrives this Wednesday, October 23 on Disney + takes an uninhibited look at the small, obscure world of influencers and takes the viewer into the mysteries of social networks and digital celebrity. If it looks like a good thriller, we unfortunately do not find the breath of the book which goes further into the drama of these children overexposed on the Internet.
Written by two co-writers Judith Havas and Victor Rodenbach who had already collaborated together on the series “Dix pour cent” (France 2) ten years ago, “Children are kings” is more interested in the relationship between the two female characters , the mother and the investigator, both damaged. As a result, we too often move away from the heart of the plot and the danger of social networks and that's a shame.
What remains is a quality series carried by a nice cast including the duel of actresses Doria Tillier (the mother) and Géraldine Nakache (the cop). The latter, who plays the policewoman with multiple cracks, is very convincing, as is Panayotis Pascot, in the shoes of her brigade partner. Young Vittoria Andreoli also does very well as little Kimmy.
