Midnight Sun

First I was a bit disappointed, I had no expectations at all, but the first episode was a bit slow for me. I kept on watching because of the nice scenery it plays on. The whole police investigation looked like a sort of chaos, they were tapping in the dark and the small details they found out just didn't add up but then there was a turning point and after that every little puzzle came to its place. It was very exciting and the places where they made the film were really breathtaking.

I enjoyed this series. The thrills start with the very first scene. Fantastic scenery and thrilling plot. Some characters could have developed more such as the prosecutor but overall I thought it was great. The scenery is fantastic.....the starkness surprised me. The sub plots about the french detective and her emotional and physical struggles and her relationships was interesting though at times frustrating to me. I'd like to have known more about the prosecutor the prejudices against him and his relationships. It was left open to the last few episodes and the chase to try to find and stop whodunit. There are surprises however right up to the end.

After a French national is murdered in Sámi territory in north Sweden, troubled investigator Kahina Zahdi (Leïla Bekhti) is sent out to investigate. She quickly learns there's a lot more at play.

The small local police force is faced with the task of solving a gruesome murder, unheard of in the otherwise sleepy mining community. And when lead investigator Rutger Burlin (Peter Stormare) unexpectedly takes his leave, the investigation suddenly lands on the shoulders of the somewhat clumsy public prosecutor Anders Harnesk (Gustaf Hammarsten), whom hardly anybody holds in high regard. Tensions only worsen when it turns out the French murder is only the tip of the iceberg, which puts both the mining community as well as the Sámi on edge. There's even a minor role for the Kven people.

Midnattssol offers an interesting window into Sámi culture, while succesfully contrasting the beauty and tranquility of the northern Swedish landscape and its six-month daylight with the dark cruelty of a troubled mind. While the mystification of Sámi customs may be a bit overdone, with at times incessant traditional joik singing and visions of reindeer, having a nåjd (Sámi shaman) make unexpected jokes lightens the mood sometimes.

The series touches on quite a few issues, such as racism, the treatment of minorities and their fight for basic rights, acceptance of (homo)sexuality, the bonds between parents and children, greed, honesty, revenge, and international relations. Almost all main characters grow and develop considerably during this multilingual drama, and they all have their own issues to overcome.

As a viewer, you really find yourself divided between the mining community and the Sámi, the motives of the murderer and the (not so innocent) victims, which in itself also reflects the inner turmoil of lead investigator Harnesk, who is half Swedish, half Sámi himself.

Small wonder both Hammarsted and Bekhti were nominees for Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Actress in a Drama TV Series at the Montecarlo TV Festival, and Midnattssol won the Kristallen Best Drama of the Year award.

Nice detail: the town of Kiruna does exist in real life, and it really plans to move in its entirety a few kilometres because of the iron mine.

This century has seen dozens of fine examples of Nordic Noir, particularly from Denmark and Sweden, but its wings have spread and presently many other countries are eager to shine or at least participate in the glory - like France here; on the other hand, for the sake of wider audiences and localities, the Nordics themselves need views and characters from aside.

Midnattssol has giftedly combined the opportunities based on above, and the result is an intriguing narration with interesting references to the past, versatile twists, beautiful nature, and maintenance of tension and thrill to almost the very end. The leading performances are not the finest - plus pity that a wonderful actor, Peter Stormare, was cut out so early - but, on the other hand, it enhances realism and pays attention to team efforts rather than a single solo (although the French lady is very keen on pursuing this :)). And last but not least - magnificent landscape, with daily life and difficulties of small Sami people, with what most viewers are not aware of.

Well, perhaps the wrongdoer was not too charismatic and the French connection remained somehow incomplete, but still, the series is worth watching - unless you are inured to fast action, lots of chases and betrayals. Life beyond the Polar circle has its own pace and angles...

I have watched a few series where there are more episodes than the plot could carry so the series becomes bogged down and boring. This series is the opposite to this. I watched two or three episodes per night. I had to force myself to stop watching. The writing is over the top great. They story is never predictable and there are to many story lines to follow to be boring. I will probably watch it again. I enjoyed the language mixture and most of the casting was perfectly done. The loose ends at the end are story lines that are still developing and will be for years to come. The Sami people deserve to have their story told and this production was an excellent start.