SkyShowtime’s new ‘Nordic noir’ ‘Veronika’: as elegant and cinematic as it is unnerving

Creators: Katja Juras and Anna Lindblom

Address: Jonas Alexander Arnby

Distribution: Alexandra Rapaport

Country: Sweden

Duration: 45 minutes (8 episodes; four viewed for review)

Year: 2024

Gender: ‘Psychological tension

Premiere: March 22, 2024 (SkyShowtime)

★★★

Not long after Finland-Sweden ‘Code Name: Annika’, SkyShowtime tried its luck once again. ‘Scandinavian land’ entirely in Swedish ‘Veronika’On the other hand, it is run by a Dane: talented Jonas Alexander Arnbyformer collaborator lars von trier (stage department) debuted as a feature director in 2014. ‘When the beast awakens’An acclaimed werewolf tale about the hardships women have endured throughout the ages. He directed five years later Nikolaj Coster-Waldauaka Jaime Lannister, interestingly enough ‘Exit plan’A dreamlike intrigue about a strange hotel where guests make their suicidal fantasies come true.

‘Veronika’ also has a high unreality component. The protagonist is a Police officer first had strange nightmaresIt’s something that even his secret anxiolytic diet can’t soothe. And worse, as in Stephen King’s books, the most believable are impossible visions that spread naturally into everyday life.. Having had psychotic episodes in the past, he understands that everything may be in his head.

Swedish star Alexandra Rapaport He plays this unreliable narrator (who we saw in ‘The Hunt’ by Thomas Vinterberg) in a measured manner, more introverted than ever; or perhaps the opposite, he has the ability to see beyond where ordinary people see. Her visions seem to be connected to a real disappearance and a series of murders, and gradually, without excessive explanations, the object of investigation becomes Veronika’s mind rather than her mind. A small town full of secrets, like a beautiful small town in ‘nordic noir’.

One of the greatest achievements of ‘Veronika’ is its detailed depiction of the protagonist’s family life; It’s a decision that seems to make more and more sense as the action progresses. We see how her pill addiction alienates her from her loved ones, her husband Tomas (Norwegian). Tobias Santelmannfrom the famous black comedy ‘Exit’) and their two children, little Simon (Eddie Eriksson Dominguez) and the oldest Liv (Sarah Rodin), both of them are left almost motherless in difficult moments of their lives, in the first time they are bullied, in the second they experience sports disappointment.

Everything in the series, including the family scenes, is shot with a grace worth mentioning: cinematographer Niels Thattum marked beautiful widescreen compositions and staging is measured in detail. Thatstum, like the composer, is an old ally of Arnby. Michael Hess (Hess Is More) offers an unforgettable main theme. The presence of a true director is always evident in official decisions; someone who understands this It’s better to show than tell.

If we cannot talk about a new classic, it is because it is a supernatural episode, created with rather primitive means, with scares seen a thousand times (that shadow rushing past the camera) or some watered-down associations (the tree). What reaches for Veronika’s dreams may take root ‘Poltergeist’ And ‘Hellish possession’but in no way does it circulate in our memory with equal force). It is at this moment that Hess’s music ceases to be suggestive and becomes quite distinct. certainly ‘Jordskott’ The paranormal will continue to move forward as a reference for ‘nordic noir’.