Midnight Sun

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 story is well constructed and the acting is superb.

But there are also a lot of other interesting elements in this series. There are the cultural differences. Not only between the French and the Swedes, but also between the Swedes and the indigenous people. The story is set in the far north of Sweden, so a large part of the year there is no night. So this is a problem for our French detective who is not used to that. Discrimination is covered, but it doesn't distract from the main goal of the story; caching the killer. I also liked the fact that the two main characters undergo personal growth throughout the whole series.

Everything is just right and all actions and events can be well explained by the characters of all the characters. And that says a lot when you start the opening scene of the series with a man tied to a propeller of a helicopter. After seeing the first episode I didn't quite know what to make of it. Such a bizarre murder, some dark sense of humour and right after that a really emotional scene. But after watching the second episode I got more into the atmosphere of the story and it got better and better after each episode.

In the last episode there is a rather long scene with only images with a music score. The music is so well made that it isn't melodramatic or inflame other sentiments. It is rather a moment of reflection. Something to think about without being moralistic.

This is the best Scandinavian detective series I've seen so far. And I've seen a lot. I can not think of anything that I didn't liked about it.

This is a series which requires concentration as there are several story lines intertwined. Going back in time to where the story started is the start of a fascinating journey to the present events and it is told in a thrilling way... As a huge fan of Scandi Noir such as The Bridge, Jordskott, Trapped,The Tunnel, we binge watched this show on SBS on Demand in Australia over three nights and couldn't get enough of it... Haunting music, magnificent scenery and a cast who were fantastic especially Leila Bekhti, Gustaf Hammerson, Richard Ulfsater and Iggy Malmborg. In addition to the fine acting add some scenes that really made us sit up and take notice - this is Scandi Noir on steroids... Loved it!

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 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.