Handelser vid vatten

This Series may not deliver the suspenseful crime thriller some might expect, but it offers a deep, moody experience that's rich in atmosphere and character. The story moves between the 1970s and 1991, exploring a mysterious double murder, a strange commune, and complex people with buried secrets. The timeline, however, is a bit confusing-actors in the '90s scenes look far too old for characters who should only have aged 18 years since the '70s. It's distracting and breaks the immersion.

The commune itself feels intentionally unsettling-sexually exploitative and strangely cultish. Meanwhile, the logging family is almost cartoonishly violent, making some scenes feel over the top. These elements are clearly meant to challenge viewers, but they can be frustrating to watch.

The setting and acting are definite highlights. The 1970s sequences are especially well done, capturing the mood and ideology of that time in Sweden. However, the story doesn't always connect its twists smoothly, and the final scene feels more like a twist for shock value than something truly meaningful.

If you're hoping for a tight crime plot, this might disappoint. But as a slow-moving character drama with Nordic flair, it is more than decent. Just be prepared for some odd character and performer choices (I can only imagine that Alba August is "pushed" into so many films and series due to her parents only).

Overall, okay watching if you enjoy thoughtful pacing, quirky characters, and a moody 70s setting more than a fast-paced mystery.

Mmmmmm...The review with 'boring boring boring' as the header is the key to why you should watch this. He/She don't get it,Never lived amongst the rocks. Praise be. Lets talk Rolf Lassgård. That frame, the look over the shoulder with a rye almost desperate glance. The whispering voice that booms. The cheek of him to be so good. It's almost annoying. Lets talk about the overall brilliance of the casting. The Pernill family in real life, as Mother and two daughters playing Mother and two daughters in the show. It's genius, and it works. Like that wasn't interesting enough lets talk about Sven Boräng who plays a younger Rolf Lassgård. What a fantastic example of an actor totally owning his craft. He must of spent hours on end shadowing Lassgård's every move and nuance because he nailed it to the point you are watching Rolf. Wonderful work. Now I can talk about the music, because it is music and not soundscaping. Yuk. I work as a composer often with nordic noir. I put myself forward for this show when I first got wind of it's pre production. When I was told Mattias Bärjed was on it, I was so happy. Perfect. So great to hear the feel of the water, the rocks, the time frame. Odd, catchy and totally appropriate. But then he was in a great band and, moreover he composed for 'Hunt for a Killer'. I reviewed it a couple of years back and said it was a game changer for nordic noir. I am British but have spent many many years in Finland,Sweden, Norway. Folk who find a lot of these series 'slow/long winded' need to spend serious time in these places to understand the pace, the culture. Then they will understand. Maybe.

The strengths here are the drama and the scenery, but it falls short on tempo and how plot twists are connected to the main storyline and cues. It's not like you would think "Of course! Why did I not think of that? That was clever!" Instead, it is like you watch some drama that you become invested in, but in the end, it does not matter much. So, they could have portrayed almost anything to provide filling time. Based on a book I haven't read, I cannot comment on the adaptation, but I strongly suspect you would not feel the same disconnect reading the book. Ultimately, this mini series feels unsatisfying as a murder mystery series, which unfortunately was my main expectation going in. But, if you just want some slow moving drama spiced with murder mysteries and a 70's collective imagery to go with it (and along with that, contentions on sexual liberty and political themes of the day), this is totally worth watching. And then you might land on a better rating as well.

The series proceeds at a methodical pace akin to travel in the remote area of Sweden that it's set in. It was confusing at first with the jumps from 1973 to 1991 but once one got to grips with who the characters were and how they changed with age, the episodes were easy enough to follow.

I don't care about the anachronisms of certain cars being manufactured after the events or products shown not existing till later in the century. To me, the atmosphere and surroundings evoked by the different years were convincing.

There were two unexplained deaths - murders - in the two years covered by the series. The perp of the earlier incident was clearly not the main suspect but it took me till episode five to be sure of who it really was. Unfortunately, the 1991 murder was signalled far less delicately in the script and it was pretty obvious who'd done it.

I loved the touches such as the party ferries between Finland and Sweden. I've been on them in the 80s and 90s as well as the ones between Finland and Estonia. The remote vastness of the north with its untarmacked roads evoked strong memories of when I lived in Finland - our cottage only had a dirt road to it even though we were in the south. So many of the buildings and landscapes of where I lived were similar to areas in the series.

In short, even without the memories, I'd have loved this and recommend it.

Hope they do more like this. Didnt wanted it to end. The August family and Lassgård is excellent.

I especially liked the 70's part of it, it felt like I was in that pediod of time with the clothes, music, cars and so on.

Didnt think it was obvious what was going to happen, it is very mysterious and special and I can understand why its not suitable for everyone.

Its a serie where you dont do anything else than whatch it, cause if you look at the phone at the same time you might miss clues. I think I will watch it again sometime just to understand some of the mysterious parts in the beginning and just to se the beautiful nature up in north. And ofcourse dont forget the music its perfect.