This is a great primer for people interested in Nordic noir:
Layers of history and culture and a tradition of social criticism add depth and literary heft to Nordic noir, a genre that is a happy hunting ground for those looking for more in crime fiction than just a crime and a bunch of suspects. By VASANTHA K. KRISHNARAJ
Read the full article here: Source: Nordic thrills
Jessica Kiang over at Indiewire has put together a nice little list of European neo noir films. I will be adding a few of these to my queue for sure. Is there any European neo noir films that should have been mentioned that were not?
Here is a link to the full list and article:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/10-great-european-neo-noir-films-20160121?page=1
I recently reviewed The Bridge Season 1 here:
https://everythingnoir.com/2015/10/08/review-the-bridge-or-bronbroen-season-1/
As I said in that review, I could not wait to watch the next season. I was leery that this show could keep up the quality of the first season, but my concerns where unnecessary.
This season starts out with a tanker running into the bridge. The tanker has no crew and 5 teenagers drugged and chained in the boat. Saga, played by Sofia Helin, is soon on the case. As the investigation goes on Saga soon goes to Denmark for their support on the case and of course she wants to work with Martin again. Without giving any spoilers of season 1, we find Martin, played by Kim Bodnia, with totally white hair from the stresses still haunting him from the conclusion of season 1. The season continues as an investigation about a group of environmental terrorist takes our duo on a rollercoaster ride of an investigation.
The personal lives of our heroes has changed too. Saga has a new boyfriend, who has moved in with her. She tries to adapt to somebody always being at her home as she turns most of her attention to the case. Martin also digs into Saga’s past and he uncovers some troubling facts about her childhood and family. Martin on the other hand is seeing a psychiatrist to deal with his new problems stemming from season 1. Martin’s wife has also left him and he is trying to win his family back through out this season.
This season also introduces us to a vast new collection of supporting characters, all great in their own right. There are too many to name here, but trust me they are all intertwined into a twisted plot that will leave you wanting more. This season also ends with a very unpredictable outcome for our two detectives that I don’t think anybody could see coming.
I highly recommend this television series for any fans of neo noir and especially those of Nordic noir. If you haven’t seen season 1 yet, go do it now! Then run out and watch season 2 as soon as you’re done.
Since season three is airing in Europe right now, we may have to wait awhile to see it over here in America. I will be waiting patiently for the day I can watch it.
The Telegraph has a great little article by Jake Kerridge. Kerridge interviews Maj Sjöwall about her and her partner, Per Wahlöö, and their Nordic Noir book series about detective Martin Beck. In the article it goes over how these two influenced a lot of current greats like Lee Child and Henning Mankell. This is a short article worth your time if you are fans of Nordic Noir like Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø. Here is a link to the full article:
everythingnoir 