Jana - Marked for Life

This Swedish crime drama is centred on Jana Berzelius, a young woman who is just starting out as an assistant public prosecutor in the town of Norrköping. Her first case proves to be rather personal; Hans Juhlén, the head of the immigration board has been murdered shortly after he had approached her for help. Not just that he helped her get adopted by a prominent family when she was found by the harbour as a child. The investigation will open old wounds and expose decades old secrets.

I thought this was a solid enough addition to the Nordic Noir genre. The story is suitably gripping with some decent twists and turns... as well as quite a few genre clichés. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. I know 'noir' means black but things are often a bit too dark as rooms are under-lit. On the plus side there is plenty of tension, especially towards the end. Talking of the ending; many details are wrapped up but a few are left open suggesting we might get more seasons; if we do I'll certainly be watching. Overall I'd say that this isn't a must see but is still an enjoyable watch.

These comments are based on watching the series in Swedish with English subtitles.

It's billed as a ( sort of ) detective series ? It's absolutely nothing of the sort ! What annoyed me the most ( there is a lot of it that's annoying, sadly ) Is the lighting , the direction around it and a lot of mumbled dialogue . It tries from the very outset to be edgy and atmospheric, but fails lamentably . The acting is some of the poorest I've seen in an age ; Madeleine Martin ( try as she might ) is no Sofie Grabol , not even close and there are several other peripheral characters who are just as inept . Will we ever get another fantastic Scandi noir again ? The days of The Bridge and The Killing seem very distant indeed.

Nonsensical plot, second rate production....what was with all the water at every scene change? Amateurish. Lost count of the holes in the story, more frequent and bigger than our local potholes.

Acting was often clunky and unnatural. My credulity was strained too many times;Jana should have been removed from any investigation early on as she was clearly a disturbed and damaged character. I blame myself for wasting so many hours hoping that it might get better.!

Not deserving of the category scandinoir; please, do not consider making series 2 or more!

There is only so much drivel a person can absorb in one lifetime!

When a high-ranking head of the Swedish Migration Agency is found murdered in his home, the list of suspects is long. As assistant prosecutor, Jana Berzelius steps into the investigation. She is young and brilliant but struggles against terrible nightmares due to her childhood as a war refugee. When the suspect's body is found, Jana recognizes something on his scarred body. The further into the investigation she gets, the more she realizes that it has to do with herself. Sometimes I can feel that the filming feels too dark. Don't know if it's deliberate but it feels barren? The acting from Johan Ulveson is not good at all. Reacted several times already in the first episode that he acts like a beginner in front of the camera! The series is not the best I've seen, but not the worst either. Like that..

As always with Swedish police thriller productions the writing is lazy and technically wrong. Appalling acting and cringy. A series trying to be tuff and Hollywoody but falls flatter than an extras paycheck.

The scenery from the town if Norrköping is beautiful though, and the photos between scenes are excellent. The series has a dark image during the harsh Swedish winter, with dark scenery ivy snow in a mix.

The series is predictable and boring, flat characters and above all: the lead roll is extremely boring with total lack of acting. Is rather see Plan 9 from outer space than watch this travesty again.