Crimes of Passion: Muerte de un ser querido

Kicking off a new Swedish crime series based on Maria Lang's crime novels," Mördaren Ljuger inte ensam" was released in cinemas this spring. The main character Puck, played by Tuva Novotny, is invited to celebrate midsummer on a remote island. While initially reluctant, upon hearing that good-looking charmer Einar (Linus Wahlgren) will be present she agrees. The party guests all seem to be emotionally involved with one another and before long a killer starts to pick them off one by one.

Personally I couldn't believe another Swedish "killer on a remote island" would be released so soon after last year's Maria Wern thriller "Inte ens det förflutna". Both movies are about people traveling to remote islands to celebrate an occasion, but their boats break down and therefore there is no escape from the killer picking them off one by one. Even more strangely, actor Fanny Risberg stars in both movies, so I really wonder about the small world of Swedish cinema and its obvious lack of creativity and new ideas.

On the brighter side, the movie looks really good, the 50s settings look realistic and the camera-work and directing are of some quality. The actors are experienced well-known names who know how to do a good job, and I really liked watching relative unknown Ida Engvoll outshining many more experienced actors with her impressive performance as Lil. On the other hand, I found Tuva Novotny's Puck rather bland as a character, she doesn't really say or do much and therefore is more of an observer than a lead character, unfortunately.

The plot keeps you guessing most of the way through the movie, and I found myself thinking I had solved the mystery quite a few times before (of course) being proved wrong. I was quite disappointed at the anticlimactic ending though, which of course solves the mystery, but without any excitement or action. Overall, a decent first film of the series, but not on par with the likes of Wallander or Johan Falk just yet.

Set on a remote island in the late Fifties, DEATH OF A LOVED ONE has strong echoes of Agatha Christie: at one point a character likens the situation to that of TEN LITTLE INDIANS. A group of people are isolated on the island, with no means of communication with the mainland except by boat - and the boat has been put out of action. Hence they have to stay together in a pressure-cooker situation where one of them is a murderer.

Unlike Christie, however, Birger Larsen's production has at least two investigators - Police Inspector Christer (Ola Rapace), a thirtysomething man with a yen for young women; and Puck (Tuva Novotny), a university lecturer writing her thesis on murderers in literature. Her boyfriend Eje (Linus Wahlgren) is likewise an academic, only his subject is medieval architecture. Together they solve the mystery of the serial killer: Christer does all the spade-work, but it is Puck who unearths the final piece of the jigsaw so that the murderer can be identified.

The atmosphere on the island is like a pressure-cooker, with every character having a motive for murder. Most of them have either been in love with one another; some are conducting affairs clandestinely; others are more open in their sexualities. Rutger (Gustaf Hammarsten) is especially nervous, as he realizes to his cost that his complicated love life has been brought out into the open. His current wife Ann (Suzanna Dilber) tries to blot out the truth through housework, but finds the mental effort too much for her. Lil (Ida Engvoll) bears more than a passing resemblance to Marilyn Monroe; she adopts a more liberal approach to her relationships. Such characterizations help to contribute to an episode that keeps us guessing right until the end.

The Fifties recreations are historically exact - complete with big cars, flowing skirts and perpetual smoking - but they seem almost too perfect, creating a chocolate-box world whose inhabitants' behavior is morally doubtful, to say the least. Perhaps director Larsen wanted to emphasize this contrast, in a manner similar to that of the British Miss Marple adaptations.

DEATH OF A LOVED ONE unfolds at a slow pace, the action kept deliberately low-key until the denouements. In terms of content and form, it seems especially familiar for a televised whodunit, but I am convinced that the series has potential for further development. I look forward to the next episode.

Puck Ekstedt is a young university student. Rutger Hammar, Puck's university mentor, invites her to his cottage. The small house is located on a remote island. Puck has begun to develop warm feelings for Einar Bure, Rutger's good friend. Puck learns that Einar will also be present at the cottage. Therefore, Puck accepts Rutger's invitation.

Puck meets other people than Rutger and Einar on the island. One of these people is Marianne, Rutger's former fiancée. And before long, Puck discovers Marianne's dead body in the woods.

Einar contacts his friend Christer Wijk, a detective inspector. Christer and Puck try to solve the murder, but it's easier said than done.

I think that Swedish islands, in general, are tranquil. And in this movie I could see, feel and understand that the tranquility was interrupted after the murder. I like Puck, Einar and Christer. They are, in my eyes, a good trio that shows strength and tenacity.

I also liked the story's construction which, in my opinion, is well-thought-out. So what exactly did I miss? Hm ... maybe a bit more romance. But I would like to recommend this movie. And yes, someday I'll watch "Crimes of Passion: Death of a Loved One" again.