Man in Room 301

This Finnish drama is set in two time periods; 2007 and 2019; the events in the former coming back to effect those in the later. In 2007 the Kurtii family have assembled to celebrate midsummer in a woodland area. Tommi, a young boy wanders off into the woods. Here troubled teen Elias Leppo is shooting a rifle. The next thing we know Tommi is dead; while it is strongly implied that certain things happened nothing is initially shown. In 2019 the family is planning to meet up again, this time in Greece. Shortly before they go Tommi's father and grandfather, who know what happened in 2007, receive letters implying a threat to Tommi's sisters and his twelve year old cousin, Kalle. The grandfather becomes convinced that 'Leo', the man staying in Room 301, is in fact Elias; a fear that is compounded when the man takes an interest in Kalle. As each timeline is shown we gradually learn the truth about what happened in 2007 and what is about to happen in 2019.

I rather enjoyed this short drama series. It was clear from early on that there would be many twists and turns and that certain things we assumed didn't happen quite as we thought... I deliberately wrote my precis after only four episodes to avoid accidental spoilers! The story moves at a good pace and there are plenty of tense moments including the heart-wrenching scenes where we finally see what happened to Tommi in 2007. The cast does a solid job and the locations, in Finland and Greece contrast nicely. Overall I'd recommend this to those who enjoy plenty of twists in their drama; just don't expect 'Scandi-Noir'.

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