After seeing Blacklist, Bones, The Mentalist, and so many different “criminal/USA” shows… you might be at the end of the rope. And maybe to some of you, a bit bored of the exaggerated, poorly thought structure. Typical to American cinema, which focuses on more fast beat/action punched filming.
As with most entertaining productions we have with them, it seems their strong qualities are actual weaknesses. And this because it is a genre that evolves around completely different guidelines than their usual style.
Now bear with me they have made some very decent stuff. Mindhunters is thrilling and exciting due to its unusual setup. True detective is on the board too, that first season is still anchored in our heads.
But with that said, for you who enjoy these shows, and those who don’t actually, I urge you to check out Nordic Noir.
Now, what is Nordic Noir? Very easy, that’s how the Scandinavians call their criminal shows. As it is, it is massive in the nordic countries. Massive you hear me. And let me tell you that they do it in a very different way!
Slow-paced, detail orientated, complex character setups… much more is thought through. And it feels in so many ways more realistic. Bringing you a very different feel. And “Noir” as black. To emphasize the darkness that comes out of it. We’re not talking about heroes of the law bringing down sacred justice with smiles and happy endings. Here, it’s meant to reflect actual life. Endings are generally bad as it is what a criminal detective usually works with. Making the outcoming of most cases unsuspected instead of America’s more “Good wins/bad fails forever” style.
With that said. Sweden and Norway have produced some very good material. And if you feel frisky about the genre, you want to get started with “The bridge”. An absolute monolith in the genre you cannot miss.
But I want here to bring your attention to a rising sector: Finland.
Emerging from the tiny icy bit of land they have, Finns have impressed Nordic noir fans with some very good productions. Usually, you would imagine Finns as up north snow people, spending all their time inside their houses snuggled in some old school knitted blankets. Tucking those bottles of vodka and wagering who can drink the most or how long they can stay in a sauna without ing out! We are aware of the Finnish ion for a gamble. Last year, for every ATM in the country, there were nearly 10 Veikkaus slot machines. But like most of them say, there’s nothing better than a “Kasino ilman rekisteröitymistä“! Until they answer Santa Claus’ call upon them and off they go to his workshop. A lot of this is true, but they also make for a great on-screen Nordic noir.
I’ll point out two of the latest I’ve seen, and with this, you will have some very good times ahead of you:
Deadwind (Finnish: Karppi) is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series directed and created by Rike Jokela, starring Pihla Viitala, Lauri Tilkanen, Jani Volanen, and Tommi Korpela. The show follows Sofia Karppi, a detective of the Finnish police who is recently widowed in her 30s with two children. She returns to police work in Helsinki, and her first case is the murder of Anna Bergdahl, a social affairs consultant.
Now, this is a stepping stone for those who might feel uncomfortable with changing the genre too quickly.
Bordertown (Finnish: Sorjonen) is a Finnish crime drama and Nordic noir television series created by Miikko Oikkonen and starring Ville Virtanen as Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen. Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen is one of the most respected officers at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Finland when his wife barely survives brain cancer. Sorjonen has Asperger’s and exhibits traits related to savantism. The character was based on British writer, Daniel Tammet, and also resembles an ‘everyman’-type.
With Bordertown, you actively get closer to what nordic noir is really. If you enjoyed it so far… you might wanna go deeper and explore the countless jewels our beloved Scandinavians have in store for you.
