White Wall

This is unfortunately another case of a potentially interesting idea that is poorly executed. The basic plot has been described by others and will not be repeated here.

The show suffers from some of the maladies common to Swedish films and TV shows. The main one here is the acute lack of proper pacing. The show just plods along, seemingly with little thought of what is important to the plot and what is not. There are unimportant sub-plots and characters who contribute little or nothing and just make the story drag painfully at times. A third or more of the footage should have been left on the cutting-room floor.

There are also the "traditional" attempts at social commentary that, once again, contribute little. The company managers are suitably spineless and/or single-mindedly result oriented. And as always in Swedish shows, there are marital problems and unhappy children - also quite unnecessary to the story.

The acting is OK without being remarkable. There is the normal and unfortunate Swedish tendency for the acting to be overly dramatic, though, and everyone is very serious most of the time, staring fixedly at each other.

On the plus side, the locations are very good and the cinematography excellent.

I love listening to Swedish, since it contains so much Anglo-Saxon seed language, and one can discern why people such as Tolkien regarded the great European legends and traditions as such a diverse and rich resource. But this White Wall thing is getting so tedious, plodding along at a truly glacial rate! I'm already one episode extra un-watched, with so many of the other trash TV Series of 2020 already binned! This one's not that bad, if you can truly remember the story from episode to episode, but I'm still expecting some alien 'Greeny' to jump out from the other side of that Wall with a message that we've all been naughty, so I have my Remote permanently placed where it can be reached 'tout-suite'.

Great story. Of course there are unrealistic elements but nothin completely insane. I like when the progress is slow and if you are looking for much action this is nothing for you:

The makers were trying really hard to keep things Swedish, with just a smattering of 'token' English! You have to admire them for featuring the real Sweden as a backdrop. And yes they were also very 'inclusive', even with an 'savant' Aspergers kid, who seems to know it all. But so far tastefully restrained, and not as self-flagellatory as the other Viking dystopian dramas. The Swedes have always had this ambivalence towards technology, necessary for cold-climate survival, but reproachable nonetheless. There's something very Freudian about it all - eggs, tunnels and the repression of 'stuff' deep down inside a mine.

Wow. Considering the perceived aspiration of Finnish big budget TV trying to emulate either Nordic noir crime stories or Hollywood series, White Wall is a breath of fresh air: an original scifi story staying grounded in the real world and inspired by real-world events. Ordered and collaboratively produced by the Finnish and Swedish national broadcast companies and said to be the most expensive Finnish TV production to date, I feel like not a single euro or Swedish crown was wasted here.

The Nordic noir elements are there: the gloomy aesthetics, the social commentary and a diverse cast of characters who feel like real people. But White Wall absolutely stands on its own legs as one of the most interesting European scifi series and one of the best Finnish series in recent years.

The lead writer Mikko Pöllä has come up with an intriguing mystery story featuring a strong message, and whether you agree with that message or not, you should be impressed by his skills at handling the subject matter. I was anxious during the final two episodes. How would the writers tackle the ending? But it turned out to be even better than I had expected, satisfyingly tying (almost) everything together while also boldly making a statement. Unfortunately I have to agree with some of the other reviewers in that the pace was a bit slow. Still, it didn't stop me from binging the series in one day.

The actors do a good job overall. For those unfamiliar with the Nordic way of being and state of mind, the characters could come across as overly stern. But that's just how we are, and considering that the story takes place in a (fictitious) town in northern Sweden, it's all the more believable. Although I feel like they could have shown us a bit more of the community and properly introduce us to the setting outside of the nuclear waste facility. Luckily there is an appropriate proxy character, a voice of the people, who also takes the themes to a universal level.

The camerawork is breathtaking, from the claustrophobic, damp underground tunnels (shot on location in a real mine) to the beautiful snow-covered vistas. And it's all accompanied by the haunting and beautiful score written by Timo Kaukolampi and Tuomo Puranen.

This is a world-class production with minor flaws and I hope to see more from the creators Mikko Pöllä, Aleksi Salmenperä and Roope Lehtinen. Actually I'd love to see another original series from them, with a global streaming network such as Netflix or Amazon providing the budget.

Recommended to: Fans of series such as Dark or Tales From The Loop, fans of Nordic noir and anyone interested in topical & thought-provoking science fiction.