Trapped

Ófærð is an amazing, dark, slow-burning drama, where you feel the tension building from the very first moment. Ólafur Darri Ólafsson depicted a single-father (for the time-being), living with his parents-in-law, working as the chief of police with so much details and such psychological depth that it leaves the watcher in awe. He is strong but easily-hurt, he is tormented by his love to his wife and still naivelly believes that maybe, just maybe everything will be fine. The story - wow, so many paths that it takes us on, such tangled connections between closed-knit society of a small community. The scenery - breath-taking; I'm from Poland so we do have some strong winters, but the creepy atmosphere of being completelly cut-off by the snow fall is something I don't know :) And it worked for me - I was binge-watching the series with 38 degrees Celsius outside and I felt frozen to the bone :) It was a combination of the story and scenery that made the film so thrilling. Overall - great acting, good story and somewhat surprising ending.

I'm already addicted to this thriller after watching two episodes only. Even though there is nothing particularly original about the plot and the back story (don't get me wrong, it's edgy in a Crimson Rivers sort of way, and is very very interesting on all levels but everything's been done before), it's extremely well directed and all the characters are very strong and uncannily lifelike. Part of the appeal resides in the "novelty" of the Icelandic location of course - I read some Icelandic crime fiction before and I found it in exactly the same appealing but rather grim vein in fact - but what really, really makes this, is the incredibly charismatic lead actor playing Andri, the unusual chief of the local police. What an actor. Negatives would be some overuse of atmospheric music but that's about it (eta: only the first 2 episodes really. It's being much better used afterwards. And it's great music) .

Am excellent watch although definitely not recommended for children, whether they can read subtitles or not. It has dead body parts and things.

After episode 3 I'm pushing this to a 9. Wild horses wouldn't drag me out before episode 4 on this Saturday night! This is top class TV by any standards.

Episode 5....still top class stuff .

The series has ended in both a pleasingly conventional and unconventional manner and I feel bereft and orphaned, such as I normally only feel after reading a particularly enthralling book. Well done, I shall miss you all like (dysfunctional altogether) family.

I would also like to add that user ratings are virtually the same across the board, from under 18 (who love it best) to over 45, males and females, US and non US users. It's quite astonishing and not at all usual.

S1 Review

In terms of plot, tonality and direction Trapped is not unique, despite that trapped is a remarkable inclusion to the genre of Nordic noir. The series opens in a snowy remote town in Iceland where a deadbody surfaces in the river .The fiercely inclement weather ,and an ensuing storm challenges the understaffed police in the town led by Andri Olafsson to solve the case. The series helmed by Baltasar Kormákur (director of "Everest","Adrift") is an intriguing watch throughout .The snowy cold town of siglufjörður acts as a perfect ally to justify the title of the series. The series builds up on the characters of the small town which seems all okay until the body shows up. Some old memories jogged up where as few persons are driven to the verge of exposing their true self. The incident sends this apparently peaceful town into an unexpected turmoil. The situation worsens as the last hope of any help from the central police department is delayed due to the impending storm. The local police with it's limited resources finds it to difficult to solve the case .The series is a slow burn and the character arcs of the cast suits it enough for this bleak thriller. The town, surrounded by icy mountains and river works as a perfect metaphor to the claustrophobic condition of the residents of the town regarding the incident. Olafur olafsson as an efficient but misplaced cop Andri is brilliant in his role.He has a robust screen presence throughout the series playing the role of a tragic cop with a troubled family life. Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir plays a more affectionate female cop and the most lovable character of the series. She also done a great job in playing her role .As the series progresses, it divulges more and more of this peaceful town i.e political conspiracies, personal vendetta and also some unusual turn in relationships. The writers has done a commendable job in building up the gravity and the atmosphere of the series. The characters will stay with you for some time. The directors also have proved their calibre by not hurrying the climax as some shows with promising beginnings usually fall victim to, although I admit some of reveals are predictable.The spectacular work in cinematography and the magnificent soundtracks by Johan Johannson and Hildur Guðnadóttir is more than perfect. The title montage is beautiful to be said at least. The series although particularly beautiful may not appeal to all,because of it's slow pace. The series is not at it's best in portraying the melodramatic situations,it may seem forced and unnecessary. Vividly atmospheric and purposefully bleak,the series, is surely a must watch who love slow burn crime dramas.

Being a fan of Nordic noir I thought I would give this series a go and I'm glad I did. Trapped is every bit as good as anything Icelands Scandinavian neighbours have given us. Set in a small port on the Icelandic coast a spate of murders take place taking the local police force out of there comfort zone. Not that this stops the local head of police played by the excellent Olafa Olafson. With no help from the mainland due to the freezing weather he single handily attempts to track down the perpetrator. Trapped is well written,acted and beautifully shot so much so it's the first show that's so cold it makes me want to put a jumper on just watching it! Highly recommended 9/10

I was hesitant at first, as I find myself increasingly reluctant to watch anything where I must rely on unblinking attention to the lower region of the screen to catch subtitles in English, (myself being woefully and completely ignorant of the spoken language of Iceland, in this case) However, after the first episode I was hooked. The acting was excellent, the characters believable, the Icelandic backdrop eerie, melancholy and the mountainous backdrop achingly beautiful. I found myself fully invested in the outcome and, indeed, stayed up well past my bedtime to watch as many episodes as I could. Cheers ! 10 out of 10 in my humble opinion.