Øyevitne

Listen, I watched this series 10 years after it's initial release, and will review it as such. The actual storyline is engaging and interesting, despite an ending that leaves some to be desired. The acting from the two boys is impressive as they were very young, Axel Bøyum does a very good job bringing Philip to life, and his portrayal is both realistic and leveled. Anneke von der Lippe also portrays a complex and interesting character very well, trying to walk the line between professional and personal life. Some of the other characters are less complex and don't bring as much to the story.

The romantic relationship between the two boys also leaves a lot to be desired, and with very little chemistry between them in most scenes, it's hard to care about their relationship. I would prefer for their relationship to be explored more, rather than it taking a back seat to support the rest of the TV-series, regardless of how entertaining the series is.

As for series on related topic, I am able to recall Varg Veum, and apparently I have seen all episodes available... Yes, I liked it, but it is more Beck and Wallander than those coming from Scandinavia when you have to watch all in sequence and where are many intertwined events, not every episode dedicated to solving a certain tort or felony.

Øyevitne measures easily up to the currently most famous Danish-Swedish series: gloomy atmosphere, harsh nature, thrilling yet realistic plot with some unexpected changes, fitting actors performing rather as a team than backing someone who is heavily "better" or "distinct" (Axel Bøyum and Anneke von der Lippe had apparently the most versatile characters to play)... Some spend more time on screen, the others less, but they do all have their role and place, not just filling a scene or prolonging the events (6 episodes made the story intense and compact). Plus, I liked the ending as the very final scenes did not contain the odd dramatics so characteristic to the US series, above all. And I also liked that private and sensitive issues were approached in realistic manner, as a part of everyday life, without strict assessments.

I am pleased that Norwegians have vigorously established themselves in the field long dominated by Swedes and Danes. Well done and more similar achievements in the future!

The endless circling around the killer who the audience knows from the outset and sees in the first ep...with everyone feeding him info like a baby bird in a nest...just becomes tiresome. Not well written im afraid, messy contrived and unconvincing with an especially irritating simpering female cop (the ditzy blonde) who seems to have the danger caution radar of a gnat. Henning i love you 😂

Now here's a fine crime series from Scandinavia : well-acted, well-plotted, twisty and full of surprises. The series is also moving, especially where it explores the difficulties, insecurities and tensions related to adolescence. It's the cruelest period in human life, when the difference between fitting in and not fitting in can mean the difference between walking home in peace and quiet and being thrown in a ditch. Try being gay under such circumstances - it's pretty much like having "Please kick me" tattooed on your forehead.

I also enjoyed the beautifully shot locations and exteriors.

I've just noticed that "Les innocents", the French adaptation, is on the telly. Would it hurt the eyes of a viewer from Bordeaux to watch a hillside in Norway ? Even if I get to be a hundred, I'll never understand why television makers look at a foreign series, say "Wow, this stuff is pretty good" and then rush away in order to make their own version. Generally speaking it's an exercice in redundancy.

Hitchcock often set his dark thrillers in beautiful, bucolic settings in order to starkly contrast them with his explorations of their dark underbellies. What better setting, then, than affluent,socially advanced, peaceful, stunningly beautiful Norway for these story tellers to do the same. Yes, there's something rotten in Norway.

It all starts with a violent crime accidentally witnessed by two teen boys who keep their mouths shut in order to hide the fact that they were there to have sex. But they've been seen and this puts them in danger and sets off all kinds of twists and turns and reverberations, especially since one of the teens is the foster son of the police officer in charge of investigating the crime.

But this is a character study as much as a procedural drama so that along the way we are exposed to a prickly cast of characters who we get to know and care about despite their many flaws which are highlighted by the dilemmas they are facing. They're pushed to their limits.

With excellent acting, great production design, updated Noir atmosphere, the many twists and turns of the plot and the constant sense of impending danger, this thriller grabs you and runs you ragged much like it does to the characters.