Things tend to slow down a little bit when we begin to head into Spring but that is not to say that there aren’t anymore exciting Nordic titles to look out for. In fact there are some very exciting series and films being released this month – here is our Nordic new releases: April monthly guide:
Midsummer Night | TV Series | Netflix | 11th April
Things will kick off with something a little light and fluffier as the great Per-Olav Sørensen (The Playlist and A Storm for Christmas) returns with his new series Midsummer Night on Netflix.
On the day of midsummer, marking the year’s longest day amidst celebrations, romance blossoms. Yet, this is also the moment Carina and Johannes decide to unveil a significant secret to their family and friends after three decades of marriage, setting off a chain of unexpected events.
The series has a huge cast including the likes of Pernilla August (Young Royals), Dennis Storhøi (A Storm for Christmas), and Amalia Holm (Delete Me).
Opponent | Film | Cinemas | 12th April
We are so delighted to see that director Milad Alami’s Opponent is finally coming to UK screens! This is an absolutely thrilling feature which was Sweden’s pick for the Academy Awards. Milad Alami, whose work includes When The Dust Settles and the superb film The Charmer, knocks it out the park in this story of a Iranian refugee family who arrive into a wintery northern Sweden with the father bringing with him a lot of mysterious emotional baggage.
Look out for our interview with the director later this month.
Stolen | Film | Netflix | 12th April
In the novel “Stolen,” acclaimed author Ann-Helén Laestadius depicts the challenges faced by a young woman as she strives to protect her indigenous heritage in a world witnessing a surge in xenophobia, climate change jeopardizing reindeer herding, and the unsettling choice of suicide by young individuals in the midst of collective despair.
However, the narrative also exposes the conflicts arising when contemporary ideologies clash with a traditional culture entrenched in deeply rooted patriarchal structures.
The film is directed by Elle Márjá Eira with a debut performance from Elin Oskal as the lead.
Fantastic Machine | Documentary | Cinema & DOD | 12th April
This is another film that has been having an incredibly successful year at the film festivals, and we are delighted to share that the film will get a UK release in April next year. The film focuses on the rapid evolution of photography and film. From the first ever image captured or person caught on film, to people participating in life-threatening stunts to get a viral photo on the ‘gram amongst the billions of images uploaded to the internet now each day.
The film incorporates a whole collection of classic clips from the internet that feel both nostalgic but also prompt you to contemplate how much we live through our devices now. What is it that compels us to document our lives in this way and what are the positives and negatives?
Deliver Me | TV Series | Netflix | 24th April
Deliver Me, the latest gritty series to hit Netflix, is directed by the talented Anna Zackrisson, known for her compelling and intense series Snow Angels. Zackrisson herself has hinted to Nordic Watchlist that the series maintains her trademark emotional depth, warning that it’s “sad again, I’m afraid.”
The series delves into the lives of two childhood friends whose paths tragically diverge when they become entangled with a local gang, culminating in a fatal confrontation. It raises poignant questions about accountability when minors commit grave offenses and the societal implications of demonising them. Deliver Me meticulously explores the fallout of children overlooked due to systemic failures such as neglect, poverty, and social isolation. It casts a wide net, showing how the ripple effects of youth violence touch everyone in a community, from single mothers to the local grocer and law enforcement, as it tears through the fabric of struggling neighbourhoods.
The Sea Cemetery by Aslak Nore | Book | 24th April
Norway’s capital and second city already have a friendly rivalry but for the Oslo and Bergen branches of the wealthy Falck family that rivalry is even more intense.
When the family matriarch dies without a will potentially devastating secrets about the family’s activities during the war come to the surface. What is the family connection to the SS Prinsesse Ragnhild, sunk by a British mine in 1940?
A dark thriller, based in part on a true story, Norwegian journalist and author Aslak Nore’s 2021 novel has now been translated into English by Deborah Dawkin.
Another exciting month to keep us very busy – which series or film are you most excited to watch?
