October was a very busy month as we had London International Film Festival and a heap of new Nordic movies to watch, followed by compiling our mega Nordic Horror list for all those fans of that genre.

We squeezed in two fantastic TV shows, and are delighted to share that one of our favourite films of the year is now available on Amazon Prime. Finally, we got to find out what has been happening over at Ekte Nordic Kitchen restaurant, and we partnered with Scandinordic.com who are our sponsor this month.

So, here’s our update and watchlist for October 2023:

FILM

Beautiful Beings | Amazon Prime

Remember that film we talked about all the way through 2022 and then it didn’t arrive into the UK until the beginning of 2023? Well, it has finally arrived on Amazon Prime and if you haven’t seen it yet you really have no excuse now.

The film centres on a group of youths who befriend a bullied school student embarking on a chaotic and dangerous friendship which will ultimately lead to issues, as predicted by one of the groups tarot card-reading mothers.

This is a full-on and stunning piece of film, very different from what you might be used to from Iceland.

Beautiful Beings is available now on Amazon Prime.

TV SERIES

Carmen Curlers | Walter Presents | CH4

We were so delighted when we heard the news that Walter Presents had picked up the award-winning Carmen Curlers. The series has performed so well over in Scandinavia, so it was a no-brainer to get hold of this fantastic show.

What made it all even better was the fact that the series lived up to all expectations, with some stellar performances from across the cast that includes the likes of Morten Hee Andersen, Maria Rossing, Nicolai Jorgensen, and Lars Ranthe – to name a few!

This is such a fresh and different series to what we are usually used to making it such a unique experience plaudits must go the series creator Mette Heno who has done a fine job here along with the directors. There are dance numbers, heart-breaking character episodes, triumph against-the-odds moments – and enough chain-smoking to make you cough just watching!

The second series has recently aired in Denmark and let’s hope we might get the second season over here too.

Also fun fact for you – the actor who plays Poul, who is a bit of a bully boy, is Christian Tafdrup – the director behind Speak No Evil – who also directs a couple of the episodes of Carmen Curlers!

Look out for our interview with the brilliant Nicolai Jorgenson who plays Frans in the series, coming soon!

Tore | Netflix

To add to our joy, another series that totally blew us away was Netflix’s Tore – created and starring the incredibly talented William Spetz.

The six-episode series was hard not to watch all in one go, as you are taken on the destructive, heart-breaking, sexual, frustrating, and at times comedic journey of our main character Tore, whose life falls apart after a horrific accident that happens in the opening episode.

It’s not often the we re-watch the pilot episode of a series, usually you just dive into the rest of it, but this was a first for us. We absolutely adored this and my god William Spetz is one talented person to look out for in the future – even though his character Tore will drive you up the bloody wall!

Tore is out now on Netflix worldwide.

Books

White As Snow | Lilja Sigurardóttir

As the clock’s turn back and the night’s get darker, October’s book of the month took us even darker. Despite the innocent sounding title, Lilja Sigurdardóttir’s White As Snow, the third instalment of her Áróra series, is utterly brutal and terrifying.

Sadly topical and live, thanks to ever present news stories of people trafficking, Sigurdardóttir pulls no punches as she weaves multiple threads across a chilling Icelandic landscape. Twisting and dark, this is a novel that will provide plenty of chills on a winter evening.

Buy White as Snow now from Orenda Books. Our Nordic book watchlist is brought to you by Glen Pearce.

October’s Sponsor

SCANDINORDIC

We’re pleased to promote Scandinordic as our sponsor for the month.

Scandinordic creates original, unique and beautiful Scandinavian gifts not available elsewhere. Their online Christmas store has just launched, so we recommend a browse – more items are being added over the coming days: https://scandinordic.com/collections/jul.

Scandinordic started in 2018, and the small team want to promote Nordic and Scandinavian cultural pride while striving for sustainable and eco-friendly practices.

Find anything from mugs and glasses to clothes and decorations – order by November 30 to get it in time for Christmas, with FREE DELIVERY on most items!

What Nordic series, films, and books have you been enjoying this month? Let us know in the comments below!