Film, TV Shows, What to Watch

Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – May | Monthly Roundup

Feature by Nordic Watchlist Team

Nordic Watchlist

Each month, Nordic Watchlist curates the very best in film, TV, and literature from across the Nordic region, bringing you our standout picks in one place. Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page is your go-to monthly roundup of what to watch and what to read.

This Month on Nordic Watchlist:

secrets we keep Reservatet netflix
Secrets We Keep | Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

FILM: When The Light Breaks | Icelandic | Cinemas (UK)

Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks is a stunningly intimate portrayal of grief, love, and the quiet spaces between. Anchored by a quietly devastating performance from Elín Hall, the film follows Una, a young art student processing the sudden death of her secret lover, Diddi. What begins as a personal tragedy unfolds into a delicately layered meditation on mourning and connection, with each scene capturing the fragile, uncertain moments that follow loss.

Shot against Iceland’s breathtaking landscapes by cinematographer Sophia Olsson, the film uses light, shadow, and silence to powerful effect. The visual storytelling is as poignant as the performances, allowing audiences to sit closely with Una’s sorrow without forcing emotion. Subtle, restrained, and deeply affecting, When the Light Breaks is a masterclass in how cinema can explore grief not through grand statements, but in the moments when nothing is said at all.

FILM: A New Kind of Wilderness | Norwegian & English | Cinemas (UK)

Documentaries don’t often give space to the quieter moments of life, but that’s exactly where A New Kind of Wilderness finds its power. Silje Evensmo Jacobsen’s deeply moving film follows a Norwegian family living off-grid, capturing their transition from idyllic self-sufficiency to a more conventional existence after the sudden death of their matriarch, Maria. What unfolds is an intimate portrait of grief, resilience, and the struggle to preserve a way of life in the face of loss.

With stunning seasonal cinematography and an understated tenderness, the film gently observes how Maria’s husband Nik and their four children adapt to unfamiliar routines, new schools, and a world increasingly at odds with their roots. Yet there’s something universally grounding about their story – their deep connection to nature, the rhythms of family, and the way children process change through imagination and instinct. Quietly compelling, A New Kind of Wilderness lingers in the mind long after the credits roll.

TV SERIES: Families Like Ours | Danish | BBC iPlayer (UK)

Thomas Vinterberg makes a powerful leap into television with Families Like Ours, a hauntingly grounded drama set in a near-future Denmark facing forced evacuation due to rising sea levels. The seven-part series – now available as a full boxset on BBC iPlayer – weaves together multiple storylines as citizens come to terms with the loss of their homeland and the dismantling of life as they know it. What unfolds is an emotional and often confronting look at identity, belonging, and survival under pressure.

The cast is a dream team of Danish talent, including familiar Vinterberg collaborators like Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, and Magnus Millang, alongside an incredible breakout performance from Amaryllis August. Vinterberg lets the tension simmer slowly, peppering the narrative with jarring moments of violence and raw emotion. Families Like Ours is both sweeping and intimate – a reflection on how ordinary people react when the ground beneath them is quite literally disappearing.

TV SERIES: Secrets We Keep | Danish | Netflix (Worldwide)

If The Glass Dome kept you glued to your screen last month, get ready to clear your calendar again. Secrets We Keep, a gripping six-part Danish drama, lands on Netflix on May 15 and is every bit as binge-worthy.

When Ruby, a young Filipino au pair, vanishes from an affluent North Zealand suburb, her quiet plea for help to neighbour Cecilie (Marie Bach Hansen) sets off a chain of revelations that shatters the veneer of suburban perfection. Cecilie, determined to uncover the truth, begins to dig into the lives of Ruby’s employers, Rasmus and Katarina (Lars Ranthe and Danica Curcic), whose casual racism and privilege seem impossible to ignore. But as the case unfolds, cracks begin to appear much closer to home.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Per Fly and co-written by creator Ingeborg Topsøe, the series pulls no punches when it comes to Denmark’s class and racial divides. As Cecilie is drawn deeper into the investigation alongside new detective Aisha (Sara Fanta Traore), she must face uncomfortable truths about her own life, marriage, and complicity.

Smart, tense, and painfully timely, Secrets We Keep is a searing look at who gets to feel safe, who gets heard, and who gets left behind. The final episode doesn’t just raise questions — it leaves them hanging in the air like smoke.

TV SERIES: Chaos | Danish | Viaplay (UK and USA)

What happens when your entire life plan unravels on live TV? That’s the starting point for Chaos, a new romantic dramedy from Denmark, available now on Viaplay UK and USA. Katrine Greis-Rosenthal stars as Lise, a polished breakfast show host whose life is thrown off course when her job – and her marriage to her co-host – begins to fall apart. As Lise questions everything, a chance encounter with Johannes (Jacob Lohmann) offers a taste of something completely different, and just maybe, something more real.

Directed by Lars Kaalund and written by Emma Broström, the eight-part series blends humour, romance, and a surprising emotional weight. Greis-Rosenthal is magnetic as Lise, balancing public poise with private turmoil, while Lohmann shines as a gentle and emotionally available romantic lead – a refreshing turn from his usual roles.

Chaos captures the energy of morning television with wit and affection, while diving into the messy business of starting over. It’s funny, heartfelt, and yes – utterly addictive. The only downside? It ends on a major cliffhanger, so here’s hoping season two isn’t far behind.

What did you discover this month? Anything we have missed and need to catch?

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