Klara precinct, Stockholm, 1958. Sweden’s first female police officers (not so affectionately referred to as “skirt cops”) enter the workforce and start patrolling the streets. For the most reluctant to change, this is merely a temporary measure to counter staff shortages. For the young women, it’s a chance to make a change. Netflix’s six-part series, The New Force (Skiftet) follows Carin, Siv and Ingrid as they navigate the sexual politics of the time, as well as a dangerous new case. 

The New Force – The Directors

The series is co-directed by Rojda Sekersöz and Julia Lindström. 

Rojda Sekersöz has previously directed episodes of Young Royals, Ruset and Dejta, as well as the feature film, Beyond Dreams. 

Julia Lindström has also directed episodes of Young Royals, as well as Riding in Darkness, Halva Halva, Two Sisters and Hjerteslag. 

The New Force – The Cast 

• Carin – Josefin Asplund (Vikings, Snow Angels, Top Dog)

• Siv – Agnes Rase (Midsommar, Ronja the Robber’s Daughter)

• Ingrid – Malin Persson (Thunder in My Heart, The Sandhamm Murders, Gåsmamman)

• Arne – Rasmus Luthander (Let The Right One In)

• Oscar – Hannes Fohlin (Meningen med livet)

• Wallin – Jimmy Lindström (Taelgia, Snow Angels)

• Svärd – Peter Eriksson (Strandhotellet)

The New Force – Our Review 

If you think that you’re settling into a cosy, retro period drama with fun costumes, think again. The New Force is a proper crime thriller, alongside underlining the sexism, racism and industrial unrest that cloaked late 1950s Stockholm. The Klara district is full of the unhappy working class, middle-aged drunks, back-room abortionists and violent pimps. Carin, Siv and Ingrid find themselves battling against public opinion, station punchlines and personal drama as their desire to be taken seriously in their new roles plunges them all into new territory. 

The opening episode does well to establish who our three leads are. Carin is fuelled by a sense of justice and is willing to go “off book” to ensure the right outcomes. Siv has ambitions of being a detective, disregarding her station nickname of ‘Miss Sweden’. Ingrid is the quietest – she looks quite startled most of the time and has her doubts as to whether or not she’ll make it out of her probationary period. All three performances are equally compelling. You can’t help but notice how their police work bleeds into their personal lives, no matter how professional they try to be. They each take a different approach to their work, but it is made clear to all of them that complaints about their male counterparts – no matter how offensive their behaviour – will go absolutely nowhere. 

Jimmy Lindström makes for a good antagonist in the racist, classist, sexist Wallin, whilst both Hannes Fohlin and Rasmus Luthander dare to give you a glimmer of hope in both Oscar and Arne, respectively. 

In amongst the everyday sexism, there is a glimpse of how Stockholm as a city was functioning in this era. Contraceptives were scarce and fallible, leading to medieval-looking solutions in grimy streets. Workers’ rights parties paste posters on walls, encouraging strikes and unrest. Tired and poor industrial workers think nothing of raising a hand to their wives or simply drinking themselves into oblivion. Sex workers operate down urine-streaked lanes or inside depressing-looking brothels. Whilst the male police force are entirely jaded by these sights and simply sees them as everyday occurrences, Carin, Siv and Ingrid are (somewhat naively) determined to make a difference. So, when the body of a sex worker is found in a river, it sets all three off on a dramatic course of events. 

It’s a thrilling case, one that leads you to a number of red herrings before dropping several major bombshells in the last episode. It’s dark, violent, dangerous and extremely tense. Knowing that Carin, in particular, is risking her safety to get to the truth is a testament to both her character and her moral compass. 

The series – playfully – uses contemporary rap music over retro yellow credits to perhaps underline that so little has changed. Split screen montages show the three leads arresting criminals, patrolling the streets and dealing with the blisters and bruises that come with their clunky and impractical uniforms. There are also a couple of swing and jive parties peppered throughout the series for those who enjoy period details, as well as archival footage during the end credits of each episode. 

The New Force is a thoroughly engaging watch, thanks to slick plotlines and strong central performances. It will have you equal parts frustrated and entertained; shocked and compelled. But one thing is for certain: these are three inspirational, powerful and intelligent young women that we would love to see more of. 

The New Force (Skiftet) comes to Netflix on October 3.

Mary Munoz, Content Creator at Nordic Watchlist