Crimes of passion: Rêves dangereux

DANGEROUS DREAMS is perhaps the best of the CRIMES OF PASSION series so far, chiefly because it places Puck, the central character (Tuva Novotny) in a position of real danger. She takes the job as the secretary of Nobel Prize-winning author Gregor (Peter Carlberg) and becomes involved in a complicated family drama of jealousy and revenge. Gregor has spent his life being sadistic to his children Yiva (Vera Vitali) and Kåre (Simon J. Berger) that he becomes a prime candidate for murder. Puck tries to leave, but Gregor insists that she should honor her contract. She finds it difficult to sleep at nights, and ends up having weird dreams, one of which involves her making love to Christer (Ola Rapace).

Molly Hartleb's production takes place in an isolated mansion, where no visitors are ever allowed. Christer invites himself in, on the pretext of investigating a murder, but finds Gregor's family unwilling to say anything. DANGEROUS DREAMS makes some trenchant points about upper-class bourgeois life: Gregor's family seem to believe as of right that they are superior to anyone else, and have no reason to communicate with the police if they don't want to. As the paterfamilias with a considerable literary reputation, Gregor rides roughshod over everyone; one word from him and everyone is traumatized into silence. The only way towards reform is to burn down the mansion altogether (in a plot-device borrowed from REBECCA) and for everyone living there to begin a new life.

As Puck, Novotny is as inquisitive as usual, as she steals into other people's bedrooms and rummages through their belongings in the hope of discovering vital clues. Yet she does this at her peril; there is one sequence where it seems as if she has finally met her match. Through a series of close-ups, director Hartleb focuses on her genuine fear, as Puck realizes that she might have gone too far. Detective-work might be fun, but not when your life is in danger.

I have recently discovered these series of movies based on the novels by my country's (Sweden) all time crime Queen, also called "Sweden's Agatha Christie, Maria Lang aka Dagmar Lange (died in 1991). I'm a fan of the whole series, it completely picks up the timeline of the 50:s- the clothes, makeup, music, parties and the constant smoking on every single occasion. All of the murders are based on passion, lies, jelaousy and revenge- not so much on money and fame. This episode was the by far most thrilling one. Me and my company were clinging on the sofa, we even screamed a couple of times, and the end is a nail biter. I will say no more, because I don't want to spoil the plot. Enjoy!