Ondskan

Until I read some of the other reviews here I was not aware of the book or film, so I watched with no previous knowledge of the story. This is an excellent Swedish drama set in a boys boarding school in 1959. The school is effectively run by 'the prefects' who rule the younger boys with intimidation and violence. While this 'evil' is occurring the teachers keep out of the way, but are clearly aware of the brutality. If this sort of thing was prevalent in late 50's Sweden it's a bit of an eye opener and a long way from the 'niceness' that is ABBA. When Eric is sent there, being the only establishment that will accept him because of his own violent history, the prefects are not prepared for his challenging of their authority, so do their best to break him. A lot of moral statements are made in each episode as to why some people behave in this way. In Erics case he is regularly beaten by his father and witnesses his mother getting similar treatment, so takes out his anger on fellow pupils until he is expelled and sent to the boarding school. To add some light to the dark Eric has a relationship with a pretty kitchen assistant Marja which is strictly forbidden, of course. I found this a compelling series and at just six forty minute episodes it does not out stay it's welcome.

The premise has been done so many times, but mostly form the US, so I was interested to see it from a Swedish perspective.

It was like a private boys' school / Lord of the Flies, with useless and violent adults hanging around on the sidelines knowing what's happening and condoning it. It's unbelievable that the parents of what seems like over a hundred boys wouldn't know about it and put a stop to actual torture.

The dialogue was pretty weak too, and the storyline sluggish and didn't make relatable sense. Eg. Before he goes to the private school he runs a thuggish gang and is very articulate getting what he wants on the streets, and then, overnight, becomes a total mute and won't say a word and won't stand up for himself? It's just not in any way believable.

The female characters are stereotypical - from the mother, to the girl to the girl's friend, to the nurse. Their dialogue was as if an after thought, and Marja's narration - well, I muted those parts.

I watched until the end but wouldn't recommend.

The actor who played Erik was really good, though - even if his terrible posture was hard to look at.

This suffered from what so many dramas starring teens have a problem with - the main actors, including Isaac Calmroth playing Erik, are several years older than their purported ages, much older in fact. It doesn't do much for verisimilitude.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the series and would have given it an eight had the story not been changed to match some notion of political correctness. For goodness sakes! The action took place sixty odd years ago. Applying modern notions to a brutal story of the dreadfulness of Sweden's past just didn't cut it. Some of the scenes were true to life such as the scullery maids curtseying to the Matron, but notions of noble holding back in the face of overwhelming violence and wickedness are alien to the timeframe. The original book was far truer to the times than the series.

What came across really well in the series was the dichotomous nature of Sweden, proclaiming openness, social democracy, freedom, liberalism while in fact, horrors were going on both hidden and overtly.

Despite my reservations, I recommend this and watched it all over a two-day period.

I was somewhat surprised about this. I loved the book and the movie and didn't think this was needed.

Honestly it payed off, the acting is (for the most part) really good. The cinematography and blocking is on point and I honestly think this show as a much stronger theme. About the cyclical nature of power, abuse and violence.

Only things I didn't really like were the romance (no real chemistry between the actors and it felt underdeveloped) I also didn't really feel the relationship between Erik and Pierre. That was much better done in the film.

Overall tho. Great job!

I will never forgive Gustav Skarsgård after that scene.

This TV-show is a cinematic masterpiece. Finally, Sweden has truly succeeded with a series that people didn't think could reach such high quality like the movie. People often want to compare it to the 2003 film, and I understand that. It was superb, no doubt. However, this series portrays Ponti and his life much better, giving us a stronger insight into how everything really was. Incredibly talented actors, many of whom are not well-known, have barely been on the big screen, but are now getting their chance of a lifetime. Really uplifting and innovative. A heartfelt thank you goes to Isac Calmroth (Erik Ponti), Gustaf Skarsgård (Åke Ponti), and Christian Fandango Sundgren (Otto Silverhielm) for their outstanding performances.