A Nearly Normal Family

In a world of near identical whodunnits and psychological crime shows, this one stands out above so many. A stunningly good performance from the young female lead (Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors, a star on the rise) whose life is broken then somehow patched together again after a rape in her teenage years makes for a truly compelling perspective on hurt and resilience. The supporting actors (particularly her father, but also her mother and her boyfriend) are terrific too - nuanced, subtle performances that add up to much more than the plot on its own conveys.

Fantastic cinematography, editing, and, most important, script add up to one of the best miniseries in the genre in recent years.

Very psychological and strong. A lot of tension and suspense! In a few minutes many things happen, so some episodes are unnecessarily prolonged, but didn't bother me.

The series is more from the family's point of view in my opinion, because the parts of judicial system here are not realistic. I have seen many Scandinavian series and in this one some forms and the rights of the suspect seemed totally unimaginable to me, like not letting Stella talk to her parents, and without sufficient evidence having her in isolation like that. There is another thing that does not seem well done to me and that is the rol of Stella, she looks the same after 4 years, from 15 to 19 years old there is a considerable change, she hasn't grown, physically or mentally. If this had been more realistic I would have given it a 9!

Well, that's my criticism, although the truth is that I loved the series, very exciting.

The actors are all very good, the story is quite realistic, tense and terrifying. What a family! This story is not at all common, very original and well edited. The impulsive daughter, too much in my opinion, was already damaged in a dysfunctional family from the beginning of the story. What happens after 4 years only makes the situation worse.

The mother is pathetic, lies and more lies just to protect her daughter, and nothing is proven at the beginning!.

A very distant family, keeping up appearances. Here is a very clear message and it will surely leave its mark on many families, see it and judge for yourself. I really like that they give good attention to this issue, be careful who you interact with and who you trust, and don't leave your drink unattended, it's real life.

I liked the last episode because of how unexpected it seemed to me, until the very end you don't know how, when and where, very nicely done! We have to defend ourselves from animals! By the way a trial doesn't work like that, but you may have already realized.

The series should be watched in the original version with subtitles, and I also really like to listen to Swedish.

I recommend it! An exciting story, modern and with an important and realistic theme and message.

Who is Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors? The actress with no IMDb profile pic and no other credits to her name as of this writing. She is mesmerizing in "A Nearly Normal Family," the lead star who carries the series from beginning to end. Bravo! She should receive some acting awards for this nuanced performance. This series gets you hooked, mostly because the flow is seamless. All the episodes blend together as if it is one long, compelling movie. Time jumps are part of the storytelling, however they are handled with subtlety and finesse, keeping you curious, concerned, and entertained at the same time. As a bonus, this is also an opportunity to take a peek at Swedish happenings and those very aesthetically pleasing interior designs.

First of all congratulations to the outstanding unknown actress Alexandra Karlsson, this is her first film. I watched the series on Binge until the sixth episode, which in 49 minutes tries to overload the viewer with too much information, and as if it was written by a writer from outer space. I don't know the Swedish legal system, but if that's how they operate there In the reality of police investigations, but especially murder trials, the result is that it is actually easier to be a criminal in Sweden. The courtroom looks like a hall in the Palace of Versailles. A criminal trial and a legal decision that ends in less than an hour after witness testimony and summaries? How can you search for the truth like this? I know it's not a docu-film, but to know that's how they do it in court is ridiculous and outlandish. In the end, I was left with philosophical questions, what are the insights that the film is trying to convey to the viewer? What is the conclusion from the movie? Does it pay to lie and cheat? I won't write, but everyone will probably find the answer at the end of the movie.

When I started watching this my hopes weren't that high. A friend of mine had mentioned watching it, and though he didn't actually say anything about what he thought of it, the way he mentioned it implied that it was kind of average; watchable but nothing special. But hey, everyone seemed to have watched it, so I put it on. My attention span is fried and I'll probably be bored in about 20 minutes. I'll turn it off and go to sleep.

As you can tell, that's not what happened. This was great. Really great. The acting is superb, especially from Alexandra Karlsson Tylefors who plays Stella, but just about everyone does a great job portraying realistic and complex characters. The story really captured my fried attention span and actually made me engage in it. It's also beautifully filmed, which contrasts the often dark and depressing events of the story.

Strong characterization, dialogue and script. In a sense, I think this series does well what a lot of Swedish crime drama shows typically do wrong. Instead of rejecting characterization for the sake of an uninteresting criminal investigation the audience really couldn't care less about, this show is smart enough to give you an actual reason for caring to follow the characters involved in the case, which then also makes you actually want to follow the story concerning the criminal investigation.

I was, atleast, at the edge of my seat watching it. It's probably the first time in one or two years that I've prioritized watching a tv show before sleeping. This is the Swedish Netflix production I've liked the most so far, even though most other users on here seem to disagree. Swedish streaming services; take notes.