SNOW ANGELS NORDIC TV REVIEW

 

Given the heavy rain and blistering winds yesterday,  I was forced indoors and found myself at a loss. I'd largely spent the last two weeks of my annual leave going on day trips or working in the garden (it's been one of the driest and warmest Augusts on record). I read  for a hour or so, but then during early afternoon I fixed myself a drink, a nice dram of Wild Turkey 101, and started to browse the internet - not looking for anything in particular, just travelling the cyber highways. I eventually came upon a retrospective article on the Danish/Swedish crime drama, The Bridge (HERE) and that remined me of how much I enjoy the well acted, tightly scripted dramas that come under the umbrella term, Nordic Noir.

This led me to pop over to ALL4, the free streaming service, from the UK's own Channel Four and search for Walter Presents - Walter Presents is a new VOD channel, presented by Walter Iuzzolino, that is part of All 4 (formerly 4oD), Channel 4’s on-demand service. It showcases foreign-language series that would otherwise not be available in the UK and is a joint initiative between Global Series Network (GSN) and Channel 4

 After scanning the list of available shows I settled on Snow Angels. By the end of the first episode I was hooked and by early evening I had watched all  six episodes and was left flabbergasted by this quite brilliant, darker than dark thriller.

Created and written by Mette Heeno, the drama is compelling right from the first when we discover that a young mother, wakes from a tranquiliser induced sleep to find both her husband and her five week old baby missing. We are swiftly introduced to two other women who will play a part in the tangled web the drama spins with each of them enduring their own personal problems, whilst trying to keep their professional lives on track. First we have Maria, a paediatric nurse who is trying to care for her brain-damaged brother and Alice, a police officer just returning to work after her husband suffered a debilitating stroke. These three women find their lives intertwined right up to the stunningly unexpected conclusion.

There's no glitz and glamour in this well realised working class setting - we have characters doing two jobs to make ends meet and heaps of misery is piled upon each character and those around them as things spiral out of control. Special mention must go to actor, Maria Rossing who is simply superb as the quietly brooding, Maria but all of the cast are top knotch. Ardalan Esmaili for one is simply excellent as the overworked father of the missing baby, but then all of the players give great performances.

I won't go into any more detail as this risks spoiling what is a cleverly constructed and totally believable story that won't disappoint. You'll never guess the way things actually play out but when it's all over everything will make perfect sense.

Quite brilliant - UK viewers can watch  Snow Angels HERE - 

Viewers outside the UK should check streaming services for the show.

Beck for Christmas

 THE KILLING TIMES have reported on an all new series of Beck which will premiere on Christmas Day in Sweden, with a UK showing in the wings - great news for fans of all things Nordic Noir -Beck – A New Life will be the first of four new films.

Swedish broadcaster C More says: “This season, the Beck group is facing more complex cases and also major private challenges.”

A body is found floating in the water near Liljeholmen. The body belongs to a 39-year-old Danish citizen with a solid criminal record and a member of a notorious Danish drug
gang. When his car is found near suspicious premises, Alex and Josef start guarding it. 

Beck and the birth of Nordic Noir

 In the ten years between 1965 and 1975, the author team of Maj Sjowell and Per Walhoo all but invented the Nordic Noir movement - they took their influence from American fiction, specifically the work of Ed McBain and even more specifically his 87th Precinct series.

 To say the pair invented Nordic Noir is not an exaggeration since their influence has been openly acknowledged by the likes of Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum and just about anyone who is anyone in the crime fiction sub-genre that has become known as Nordic.

I've seen articles that call them a husband and wife writing team, but in truth the pair were partners but never married  during their thirteen year relationship - Sjowell had been married twice previously and Per Wahloo already had a wife. 

They were both journalists and very politically minded - they were Marxists and on times their world view sneaks into the books, how could it not!, but the books are never didactic and there is plenty of wry humour in the series. The main character, the policeman Martin Beck actually loathes politics and the authors were careful that Beck would take no obvious political stance. This may have allowed them to explore the society they lived in with a fresh set of eyes, free of prejudice. 

They used their fiction to explore the moral grey areas of the socialist state within which they lived; charting Sweden's building of its famous welfare state. They touched opon the formation of a police state, the alienation of many citizens and tackled immigration and racism head on.

And this did all this in a series of ten widely entertaining police procedurals, the ripples of which are still spreading out today and touching the pen of many an author.

The Wiki entry on the Beck series reads:

Martin Beck is a fictional Swedish police detective and the main character in the ten novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, collectively titled The Story of a Crime. Frequently referred to as the Martin Beck stories, all have been adapted into films between 1967 and 1994, six of which were included in a series featuring Gösta Ekman as Martin Beck. Between 1997 and 2018 there have also been 38 films (some released direct for video and broadcast on television) based on the characters, with Peter Haber as Martin Beck. Apart from the core duo of Beck and his right-hand man Lennart Kollberg, the latter have little resemblance to the original series, and features a widely different and evolving cast of characters, though roughly similar themes and settings around Stockholm.

I came upon the series after hearing a Radio Four play of the first book in the series, Roseanna and I was intrigued enough to explore the books, learning as I did that prior to the Beck books the Scandinavian crime fiction market took the Agatha Christie novels as their blueprint; predominantly focusing on the mystery aspect of the fiction rather than the very real outward effects of the crime itself.

 SJowall and Wahloo turned all this on its head and their books detail police investigations in great detail, much in the way the best of the Ed McBain books do. Nothing in fiction is truly innovative since all writers are drawing on what went before, but the Beck books were handled with such skill and genuine compassion for the underdogs in society that they became a series that could stand on its own and was soon recognised as something quite unique.

There are ten books in the series, and as things progress they become darker in tone and out protagonist, the dogged policeman is put through the mill - his marriage eventually falls apart, his health deteriorates, and his determination to do his job to the best of his abilities comes at the expense of every thing else in his life. You find shades of Beck in the likes of Wallander, Harry Hole and just about any fictional detective you care to name.

If one was to define the elements that make up the Nordic Noir movement the list would be something like:

A brutal crime or a series of such crimes.

A socio-political element to the story.

A strong focus on setting; usually bleak and often very bloody cold.

Strong multi-dimensional female characters.

The Beck books contain all of these elements, and their series defined what would become the Nordic Noir movement.

The books in order:

• 1.   Roseanna: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 2.   The Man Who Went Up in Smoke: A Martin Beck Police Mystery
• 3.   The Man on the Balcony: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 4.   The Laughing Policeman: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 5.   The Fire Engine That Disappeared: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 6.   Murder at the Savoy: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 7.   The Abominable Man: A Martin Beck Police Mystery
• 8.   The Locked Room: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 9.   Cop Killer: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 
• 10.   The Terrorists: A Martin Beck Police Mystery 

Then ten books come out at an estimated 657,820 words.

The Bat Jo Nesbo Book Review

Jo Nesbo is one of those select few author's who can claim to be a household name, and as such I was aware of him and his creation Harry Hole (pronounced Hoola or Holy as  in this book) without having ever read a word.

Until now, that is and this book came as a surprise to me. I was expecting a slice of brooding Nordic Noir but instead I got a straight forward adventure novel that seems to owe more to American crime fiction than it does to the likes of Stieg Larsson. That's not to say I was disappointed, quite the opposite in fact and I found myself sucked into the story and by the mid-way point I had fallen for Nesbo's  truly dysfunctional detective and will certainly be seeking out more in the bestselling series. I'm told that the later books are far more in the Nordic Noir style, but as an introduction to the character, The Bat is pretty damn good.

The novel is set in Australia where Harry has been sent to investigate the murder of a Norwegian woman, and soon our troubled detective finds himself on the trail of a serial killer. It's hardly an original premise but thankfully Nesbo handles the timeworn fish out of water theme with panache and makes the old chestnut both fresh and surprising.

I enjoyed the book - even if it wasn't what I was expecting.

Hooked on Trapped

I've just binge watched another slice of Nordic Noir - ten episodes consumed over five days makes for an intense experience. This time out it is Trapped, an Icelandic drama, that has all the dark chilly beauty of shows like The Killing, but adds a claustrophobic kick ass blow

Andri (Óladfur Darri Ólaffson), a hulking bear of  a man,  is the police chief of Seyðisfjörður - a bleak little place at the end of a fjord in the east of Iceland. In winter, it’s dark, it's freezing and the aftershocks of the 2008 financial crisis are still being felt. If that wasn't enough darkness Andri also has to contend with his marriage falling apart before his eyes - his wife returns to town with her new boyfriend and just when it couldn't possibly get any more miserable for Andri the killings start and are then followed by a storm which cuts Seyðisfjörður off from the rest of the world.

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, who shot the Hollywood thriller Everest, the camera lingers on thick grey seas, horizontal snow and huddled houses, which creates a real feel for the remoteness of the setting. The plot is clever and expertly served up across the ten episodes so that when the final twists are served the viewer is left exhilarated. A action packed final ten minutes are the perfect ending to what is another compelling piece of crime drama from the Nordic genre-masters.

Fine more info on Nordic Noir HERE

I'm hooked on Scandi dramas and over recent months have binge watched The Killing, The Bridge, Borgen and now my latest obsession, Trapped. It is clear that the Danes and Swedes have much to teach about TV craft. The Killing took 20 episodes to solve one murder – a series length, and slow rate of progress, that would have been unthinkable for a UK production. Both Borgen and The Bridge are visually stunning, with as much attention paid to the production design as to the plot, and the actors who fill the roles in these series are believable and seem real - we don't so much  see the actors, but the characters they create for us. And even when the plot is barking mad, as is the case with The Bridge, there is a level of realism that gives the shows an air of authenticity.


That's not to say we Brits can't do grit when we want to - Happy Valley, Broadchurch and The Fall are three homegrown shows that are as good as the Nordic dramas, but would any of these have followed the blueprint for grimy realism had not The Killing been such a hit worldwide? I think not for The Killing showed that a serialised narrative, when done right, could keep viewers gripped for an entire run. It allows for the characters to be slowly shaped across a large canvas and quite simply is responsible for some absolutely brilliant TV drama.

'The countries that the Nordic writers call home are prosperous and organized, a “soft society”  But the protection offered by a cradle-to-grave welfare system hides a dark underside.' Nowegian crime writer, Jo Nesbo.

 There is an interesting article HERE that looks at the obsession with Nordic Noir

The Bridge season 2

After being blown away by the first season of The Bridge, I turned to the American re-make but lasted for only six episodes. It was OK but it had a lot to live up to and I couldn't accept anyone other than Sofia Helin in the lead role. I did like the American/Mexican storyline and had I seen the show before the original Swedish/Danish series I might have liked it a lot more, but once you've seen Sofia Helin in those leather trousers then everything else pales to insignificance. I so I went straight to the second season of the Swedish/Danish original.

Incredibly season two was even better than the first season, even if the plot did meander into some pretty far fetched territory - in fact the plot, involving a group of eco terrorists, wouldn't be out of place in a James Bond movie. And its all the better for it - on the surface it looks like a grimy noir with realism triumphing over fancy, but wash away the surface sludge and a pretty fantastical plot is revealed. A plot that is twisty, turny and tantalising. There's not a lot of out and out humour to punctuate the misery (and there is plenty) but instead there is the subtle humour derived from Saga Noren and her interactions with the other characters. Her penchant  to openly talk about sex and the problems it entails is absolutely priceless - the reactions of her main sparring partner, Martin Rhode (Kim Bodnia) are highly nuanced and the pair are simply the best TV COP double-act since Regan and Carter.

That this season ends -BIG FAT SPOILERS AHEAD - with Martin being hauled off to prison, dobbed in by Saga herself, would seem to set up an intriguing premise for the third season. And that was the intentions of the show runners but Kim Bodnia decided he was quitting the show before starting work on the third season, forced their hands. The third season then doesn't feature Martin at all and I wonder if that will change the dynamic of the show. Sega Noren is an absolutely superb character, one of the most interesting in all of crime TV, but she could be somewhat deminished without the heart provided by her co-star.


WHY BODNIA QUITE THE BRIDGE

I'm immediately moving onto the third season now - I just can't get enough of this show. After that I may try the Anglo/French re-make, The Tunnel. OK, so I was dissapointed by the American version of the show but I'm going to give The Tunnel a try but what I'm really waiting for is a fourth season of the Swedish/Danish original. Though I'm getting ahead of myself and so I load up season 3, episode 1 and PLAY.

The Bridge (2011) Original Swedish/Danish series

Nordic Noir seems perfectly suited to the darker months. There would be something truly perverse to watch drama so bleak  on a cheery summer evening. Not so when the nights draw in, and the temperature plummets. Outside the wind blows, howls, moans across a landscape of moonlight and skeletal trees .

Capture that image if you can, keep it in mind for it is the perfect backdrop as we lock the doors, close the windows and draw the curtains. There has never been a better time

to  sit before the fire, a single malt in hand and binge on some of the best crime television around. This is just what I did recently when I sat and watched the ten episodes that make up season one of The Bridge. Original language and subtitles, of course.

Saga Noren, played by Sofia Helin, is an excellent creation - she seems to be equal parts Sherlock Homes and Lisbeth Salander, with a dash of Mr Spock thrown in. Her Watson is Dutch police officer, Martin Rhodes (Kim Bodnia) who provides the heart of the story as well as being a useful counterpoint to Saga's lack of emotion.

The story starts with a body left on the Øresund Bridge which connects Sweden to Denmark. The body has been placed along the border between the two countries which means that both the Swedish and Danish police authorities have an interest in the case. Things get complicated when it is discovered that this is actually two bodies - the top half belonging to a Swedish politician while the legs are from a Danish prostitute. It soon become clear that the killer, a man who calls himself the Truth Terrorist, is making a point. That point being - we are not all equal in the eyes of the law. The prostitute was killed many months back, her body kept in deep freeze until it was needed to join the upper half of the politician on the bridge. Her disappearance was briefly investigated and then forgotten.

The killer soon contacts the press and claims he is committing these crimes to highlight some very real social problems. He has other points to make -  which will lead to ever more audacious crimes - poisoning the homeless, abducting corrupt policemen and kidnapping a group of schoolchildren. However as the mismatched cops investigate it soon become clear that the killer may be one of their own and that his motives are actually much more personal and nothing to do with noble ideas of social justice.

It's an intriguing plot that is paced well throughout the entire season and I found myself immediately hooked after the first episode - For a week I found myself watching a couple of episodes a night and I enjoyed every minute. The chemistry between the two loads is pitch perfect and provides for some great character moments. Martin is the warmer character, a man who has no problems with social interactions , whilst Saga is socially awkward and finds it difficult to form real friendships or relationships. She seems to favour casual, unemotional sex and although her lifestyle is odd it is at least well ordered. The same can't be said for Martin who struggles to remain a good father and husband and soon finds everything falling down around him.

Compelling stuff then...I've still got two more seasons to watch and I'm eager to get into the second season. After that I think I'll try the American re-make, also called the Bridge, and if that's not enough I could always enter The Tunnel - which is of course the title of the French/British remake. Somehow though I doubt if any of the others will match the brilliance of Saga Noren as played here by Sofia Helin.