Families Like Ours

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.

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.

It's so annoying to see this Laura character and her foolish naivety. She must be the biggest crybaby ever.

Stubborn, silly, and definitely not a representative 17-18 year old Scandinavian girl. The idea for this series is good, but the script is not realistic. I know Danes are stubborn, but some of these characters are both stubborn and so incredibly lacking in street smarts. Too bad Winterberg did not see this. It feels like the series misses the mark on portraying believable characters, making it harder to feel invested in their journey. Such a wasted opportunity for depth.

I can just agree with the Gilles Character that says Jacob and his wife are just spoiled persons.

This Thomas Vinterberg's series looks about a doomsday of denmark, making audience expect "Roland Emmerich moments" with CGI catastrophe like "Copenhagen underwater"? No, Vinterberg has his own style, and his own concerns to tell a story full of passion, sympathy and self-reflection.

Is the main audience European and North American? Maybe, and people's experience would make different perception of this series. I am the son of a refugee family who escaped wars, I myself was a "skilled worker" in an immigration program me to a western country. We know the bureaucracy and chaos to enter a country, facing hostility and violence worrying about any circumstances. However, after finally settling down, we always keep in mind the generosity, hospitality and all the good wills of kind people, no matter the living condition is high class or not.

What I cherish in this series, is that this time it's the middle class white family having a touch of a refugee's life. The main family and its members in this series is high middle class, living high quality life, especially in a welfare state that the whole world envies. Yet in the beginning of the story they don't have a clue how fortunate they are. When a catastrophe comes, they try everything to keep the living standard as before, not willing to lead a simpler life or share resources with other people. They are one family and only cares about their family, not realizing there are thousands of "families like ours".

As the show progresses, at first they are all luckily welcomed by people in different countries, where they can still have good jobs and promising future, but they are so "spoiled" that eventually spoiled all the good chances. Some characters even went into the worst nightmare a refugee could get into, facing all the risks and dangers even the hostility and malice. We third world nationals had a lot of stories like this, and the series just let white middle class danish characters to go through it too.

Only when they face the worst, lose everything and yet still manage to survive, they could start realizing how fortunate they were, and how different people around the world are living their lives. Life can be simple and even poor, but what matters is the kindness, humanity and love among people. Even if your homeland no longer exists, you can still live the best of a humble life, and celebrate the beauty of life wherever you are.

This series deals with both global warming and refugee crisis that Europe is facing in 2020s, and it encourages European citizens to contemplate: will we be refugees one day? Will we be any different from the refugees we are receiving today? As the world is on a decline, and the society will lose a lot collectively, are we able to and willing to share what we have and what we lose with others? Always remember it's not only about "our family", but also about all the "Families Like Ours".

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.