Jana - Marked for Life

This was a good thriller for the first five episodes but I am afraid it degenerated into complete nonsense in the sixth and final episode. Very disappointing. The plot reveal was nonsense.

The actual film for the most part was far too dark. It was extremely difficult to see what was happening. I even had to try and adjust the brightness on the TV.

A lot of holes in the plot regarding the actions of the eponymous Jana and the police.

Familiar faces - Johan Ulvesen (Bonus Family and The Truth Will Out), Fredrik Hallgren (Bonus Family), Suzanne Reuter (The Restaurant).

Madeleine Martin was good in the title role.

It's billed as a ( sort of ) detective series ? It's absolutely nothing of the sort ! What annoyed me the most ( there is a lot of it that's annoying, sadly ) Is the lighting , the direction around it and a lot of mumbled dialogue . It tries from the very outset to be edgy and atmospheric, but fails lamentably . The acting is some of the poorest I've seen in an age ; Madeleine Martin ( try as she might ) is no Sofie Grabol , not even close and there are several other peripheral characters who are just as inept . Will we ever get another fantastic Scandi noir again ? The days of The Bridge and The Killing seem very distant indeed.

Had this been presented with a more sci-fi slant than it was, I might've found it easier to believe the lead character's strange and somewhat inexplicable actions through the series. Some of the dialogue is also quite stilted or unnatural, where Jana might give a better qualifying answer as to why she couldn't do something with her family at any time or other, her lack of this made her less likeable as a character and her motivations and the cohesiveness of her actions less questionable. Not really giving us any insight into the actual role of a prosecutor in the Swedish judicial system also reduces the believability of her actions throughout. It's not engaging enough to warrant further development because she wasn't likeable enough as a character. Her apartment is also far too fancy for a junior lawyer, regardless of her father's implied wealth and standing. The plot was somewhat far fetched too.

Okay, this series has some major flaws. First, the way her adopted parents treat her traumatic childhood - I mean the level of ignorance displayed is a little hard to believe for highly educated, affluent people. Very surprising, given her adopted father's profession. I mean, no real effort given to find out why she was traumatized. I mean, come on..... Second, the treatment she received for her trauma. Why so secretive?

And, finally the biggest problem with the series and why I believe it lead to the many negative reviews. The series is just to short for the storyline being covered. I believe several of the mental leaps that you have to make and lack of fleshing out of the main character are due to it only being six episodes. Both a complex main character and storyline needed that.

So be prepared. If you can ready yourself for these, then you'll have a very enjoyable experience.

This Swedish crime drama is centred on Jana Berzelius, a young woman who is just starting out as an assistant public prosecutor in the town of Norrköping. Her first case proves to be rather personal; Hans Juhlén, the head of the immigration board has been murdered shortly after he had approached her for help. Not just that he helped her get adopted by a prominent family when she was found by the harbour as a child. The investigation will open old wounds and expose decades old secrets.

I thought this was a solid enough addition to the Nordic Noir genre. The story is suitably gripping with some decent twists and turns... as well as quite a few genre clichés. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. I know 'noir' means black but things are often a bit too dark as rooms are under-lit. On the plus side there is plenty of tension, especially towards the end. Talking of the ending; many details are wrapped up but a few are left open suggesting we might get more seasons; if we do I'll certainly be watching. Overall I'd say that this isn't a must see but is still an enjoyable watch.

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