Familier som vores

I've seen quite a few negative reviews here - but don't let that stop you watching this well-produced and well-acted series about how an environmental crisis turns life upside down for a middle-class Copenhagen family. It does require a certain suspension of belief in that such a crisis would hopefully be managed more sustainably than it is in this drama. But you never know, and anyway, it's fiction not a documentary.

The actors were incredible and the script was well-written. What I thought was most valuable was the way the series created a strong engagement for the characters, who in many ways were the same as the series' target group - an average middle class family. Once that engagement was in place we were led through a series of increasingly uncomfortable situations, where some poorly-considered decisions made things go from bad to worse. If you're a parent you will be able to identify with the painful sense of concern that arises when children are forced into dangerous situations.

We don't really want to know about environmental crises, or about the hell that refugees face, so it's easier to just dismiss the series, than to experience those uncomfortable feelings. Watch this series with an open mind and you will be rewarded with a thought-provoking and meaningful experience.

The premise is very interesting, but the script and how most of the characters act is beyond stupid. Makes for an unintelligent script that completely destroys any thrill.

It starts out setting the tone and you start to think, wow what if this actually happened, then what what you handle it. Many really great actors in this productions makes it even more interesting to dive into. The first couple of episodes starts strong. Episode 4 was a turning point for a disaster of a stupid storyline unfortunately.

It is shot in a intriguing manor and the locations make it believable at first. Then hits the storyline that it just worse and worse episode by episode. By mid-episode 5 I lost all interest in this.

In Thomas Vinterberg's Families Like Ours (Familier som vores), characters face impossible decisions in what could have been an over-the-top apocalyptic sci-fi series. Instead, within the environmental framework of disaster, Vinterberg stays focused on the human cost. It's ironic to see some reviewers question how certain characters could be so stupid or myopic in their decision making, but the series shows how difficult it is for people faced with impossible choices, particularly emotional ones, to think clearly when they're losing everything else.

The series is blessed with some excellent Danish actors--but it's the two young leads (Amaryllis April August and Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt) who pull us in and keep us connected. It isn't that the other actors aren't excellent (Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Paprika Steen always reliable)--but the stories of Laura and Elias are simply more riveting--and extreme. The series also pushes at the notion that becoming a refugee can only happen to "others," illustrating what happens when even well-off Danes become unwanted migrants. The human dilemma is simply human, at all costs, even if you start out on better financial footing.

It's very hard to watch some of this series, especially some of the violence, but it's necessary to see what can happen to anyone. Determination alone doesn't ensure anything in a world like this--though it helps. Sometimes faith and acceptance bring some stability, as with Fanny (Steen), and at others it brings disaster anyway. We move toward an unclear resolution, the most we can hope for in this fictive world.

Thomas Vinterberg's series "Families Like Ours" is an ambitious tale about a Danish family facing an apocalyptic crisis. The acting is decent, but it is difficult to sympathize with the characters as they often make incredibly foolish decisions.

From the beginning of the series, we see the family navigate through a series of catastrophic choices that only worsen their situation. Their inability to think rationally and act sensibly makes it hard for viewers to engage emotionally. Instead of learning from their mistakes, they repeat them over and over, which can be frustrating to watch.

Their decisions are often driven by extreme stupidity and short-term thinking, It is hard to feel sympathy for characters who seemingly do not learn from their mistakes and continue to put themselves and others in danger.

Although the series has its strong moments and manages to create an intense atmosphere, it is difficult to overlook the many foolish decisions the family makes. This makes it challenging to invest emotionally in their fate and leaves the viewer feeling frustrated rather than empathetic.

The idea is good here. Showcase what it means to be a refugee, by making the Danes go through what is happening to many in war ridden countries. Acting is fine as well.

However it just becomes too forced. There are situations where main characters makes such stupid decisions that it became unbelieveable and nearly unbearable to watch. Add to this that it is incredibly slow at times, especialy the last few episodes are just dragged out. It could have been maybe 4 episodes instead.

I would still recommend Danes to watch it as a learning exercise of how it is to be a refugee. The empathy refugees deserve is for sure missing in todays society.