Jour polaire

I watch a ton of foreign murder series. All the "big" name ones, and tons of mediocre, not so great ones. Midnight Sun was gripping.

I enjoy when I watch a series and learn about other cultures at the same time. A big part of this story involved the "Sami" people. The Sami people (also Sámi or Saami, traditionally known in English as Lapps or Laplanders) are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. ( hat tip to Wiki). The series has a mix of French, English and Swedish, so you do need subtitles. I enjoyed the mix.

I had never heard of these people, and it was interesting to do a little research and learn. I felt the actors were top notch. Some of these reviews complained when one of the policemen makes an early exit from the show. I was disappointed as well, but the other policemen grows on you. ( Trying to avoid spoilers, so no names).

The French actress, Leïla Bekhti is mesmerizing. I would like to see her in more series available for a broader market. The rest of the actors were very good, right down to the town people. I am usually able to guess the murderer/s quite early on, since I watch so many shows like this, but this one keeps you guessing.

There are many layers that unfold as the story continues, and you are not sure what is going on exactly.

I enjoyed that. Also there were some new and gruesome ways to murder people in this show. It is not the same old, that is for sure. This was not the usual dark setting of many Nordic series. The scenery is beautiful. It is always sunny. The are in the constant sunlight period of the region.

I binged watched this over two days. Sometimes with some of these shows that unfold more slowly, you get into the rhythm better with binge watching it.

I enjoyed that this show was not depressing. Which is a surprise maybe since people do die in gruesome ways. Some of these tend to be so dark and sad with their main characters. These main characters had back stories, but were more hopeful in tone.

I find it refreshing to watch the slower pace and the use of silence to make a point, and punctuate moments. This tends to not be the way of American shows, that is for sure! I highly recommend this. It was done by the same writers who did "Swedish/Danish TV series Bron/Broen or The Bridge". which is amazing.

I have watched a few series where there are more episodes than the plot could carry so the series becomes bogged down and boring. This series is the opposite to this. I watched two or three episodes per night. I had to force myself to stop watching. The writing is over the top great. They story is never predictable and there are to many story lines to follow to be boring. I will probably watch it again. I enjoyed the language mixture and most of the casting was perfectly done. The loose ends at the end are story lines that are still developing and will be for years to come. The Sami people deserve to have their story told and this production was an excellent start.

Just to add to the reviews already published - the series is really well made,the characters believable and for some reason there is a seamless movement from one scene to the other.The cinematography,music and set up is gorgeous and morbid. Clearly one of the best of it's genre.

First I was a bit disappointed, I had no expectations at all, but the first episode was a bit slow for me. I kept on watching because of the nice scenery it plays on. The whole police investigation looked like a sort of chaos, they were tapping in the dark and the small details they found out just didn't add up but then there was a turning point and after that every little puzzle came to its place. It was very exciting and the places where they made the film were really breathtaking.

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...