It could be argued that November provided some of the best Nordic content all year when it comes to the small screen. Netflix kicked the month off with Let Go and then followed it up with utterly gripping Helicopter Heist. … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – November | Monthly Roundup
For the majority of the world, genealogy is nothing more than a fascinating hobby. In Iceland, family trees take on more importance as, due to the patronymic surname system of taking the name of your father as your last name, the risk of dating a … Continue reading The Clues in the Fjord by Satu Rämo – Book Review
Medical advancements are a wonderful thing, but what happens if the doctor sees that step forward as personal gratification rather than something for the societal better? It’s a premise that Hanna Nordenhök’s beautifully gothic Caesaria examines. Set in 19th Century Sweden, Doctor Eldh … Continue reading Caesaria by Hanna Nordenhök – Book Review
Based on a true story. Five little words that can make all the difference to your viewing experience. And whilst The Helicopter Heist doesn’t ever print them on screen, this is a crime drama that firmly has its basis in … Continue reading The Helicopter Heist – A must watch crime thriller on Netflix
There is nothing to fear except fear itself – except for a family and their housekeeper in rural Iceland. In the middle of a harsh winter, the fear in their minds is nothing compared with the real horror that awaits … Continue reading Can’t Run, Can’t Hide by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
There’s something about taking literary characters out of their traditional settings and exploring how the environment changes their dynamic. It’s a ploy Samuel Bjørk uses in Dead Island, the fifth instalment of his Munch and Krüger series, taking the detective … Continue reading Dead Island by Samuel Bjørk – Book Review
Jens Henrik Jensen’s Oxen book series consists of six thrillers, each centred around the titular character. A war veteran suffering from PTSD, Niels Oxen rejects conventional life and the trappings of the city. Instead, he prefers to spend time in … Continue reading Oxen – The explosive, pacy new Channel 4 thriller
One takeaway from 2024 is that both Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson and actress Elín Hall have become two names to look out for in the future. The pair teamed up for Rúnar’s new feature When the Light Breaks, which started … Continue reading When the Light Breaks Director Runar Runarsson and star Elin Hall talk to Nordic Watchlist
Victim. It is a widely used term that has many connotations. Many Nordic Noir novels look purely at the victims of a usually bloody crime. For Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, however, the concept of victimhood is looked at … Continue reading Victim by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger – Book Review
There’s always a sense of epic journey in starting a Knausgård book and especially so when beginning a volume in the Morning Star series. It’s a major work and the latest instalment, The Third Realm, is an ambitious work. The … Continue reading The Third Realm by Karl Ove Knausgård – Book Review
I hope you are all ready for November because you are going to be spoilt with a huge mix of films, series, and books to enjoy! Here is our monthly guide to all the Nordic New Releases: October Monthly Guide … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: November Monthly Guide
Family life can be chaos. It can be arguments and everyone not liking the same dinner and forgetting something important for a special occasion. But it can also be love and laughter and everyone pulling together in the same direction. … Continue reading Let Go Film Review – Netflix’s emotional new family drama
October has been a busy month with London Film Festival and the release of some fantastic series on Viaplay! Here is our monthly Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – October edition. TV SERIES: Secrets | Viaplay UK & … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – October | Monthly Roundup
Pilou Asbæk is up there as one of the most recognisable faces from Denmark when it comes to film and television. His work in both Hollywood and the Nordics has propelled him to be a household name with a wide … Continue reading Pilou Asbaek ‘comes home’ with new Viaplay series Secrets
My Eternal Summer is director Sylvia Le Fanu’s beautiful debut feature, which had its premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival, and is now screening at the London International Film Festival. It’s competing in the ‘First Feature Competition’ and those … Continue reading My Eternal Summer – Director Sylvia Le Fanu discusses her beautiful debut film based on personal loss
When The Light Breaks opens with a shot of student Una (Elín Hall) staring at a stunning sunset while stoned and sharing a romantic moment with her boyfriend Diddi (Baldur Einarsson), “I’m tired of this secrecy” she says. Diddi makes … Continue reading When The Light Breaks – Review from London Film Festival
Ensemble dramedies are a television staple. We are invited into the lives of friends, family and loved ones for a brief moment and are guided gently through their trials and triumphs. It’s a genre that feels familiar; cosy. It’s perhaps … Continue reading In-Depth Review of Viaplay’s All and Eva TV Series
For pub quiz aficionados, Grenen, just outside the small Danish fishing town of Skagen could be a name worth remembering. While Cape Horn in South America is well known for the place where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet, Grenen … Continue reading Discovering Skagen: Denmark’s Unspoilt Gem
The name Jo Nesbø is everywhere at the moment. A new novel (Blood Ties) has just been published, his standalone stories The Night House and The Jealousy Man have just been announced as being adapted for the screen, and his … Continue reading Top 5 Jo Nesbø Books to Read Now
Following Stolen and A Part of You comes Trouble, a brand-new Swedish film from Netflix’s Nordic slate. The film doesn’t waste any time, skipping a title sequence and throwing you straight into the action. In a chaotic drug bust, the … Continue reading Netflix’s Trouble – Action-Packed Comedy With Filip Berg
Get ready to snuggle in and watch a great mix of new Nordic films and series this month. Here are the Nordic New Releases: October Monthly Guide. FILMS & TV SERIES Trouble | Film | Netflix | 3rd October Conny, … Continue reading Nordic New Releases: October Monthly Guide
Blood Ties, the second book in Jo Nesbø’s Os series is published today in the UK, but if readers have yet to catch up with the Opgard brothers there’s still time to read the first book in the series, The Kingdom. … Continue reading Jo Nesbø’s The Kingdom Recap and Blood Ties Book Review
Autumn is finally upon us which means more, hopefully, more Nordic content! Here is our monthly Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – September edition. TV SERIES: Billionaire Island | Netflix (Worldwide) ALEX: Starting off our picks of the … Continue reading Nordic Spotlight: Best in Screen and Page – September | Monthly Roundup
By now, many of you have probably seen the new Nordic Netflix offering, Billionaire Island – Nordic Watchlist caught up with one of the series creators, Anne Bjørnstad, to discuss how it all came to life (and to clear up … Continue reading Behind the Scenes of Billionaire Island with Creator Anne Bjørnstad
Glen reviews two new Nordic titles to read – Death At The Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson and The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen. Death At The Sanatorium by Ragnar Jonasson Death At The Sanatorium, where a body is found in … Continue reading Death At The Sanatorium and The Burning Stones – Book Reviews
“We get to follow people into their homes, where we normally might not, to avoid judgement and to prevent characters becoming one-sided or stereotypical.” As Nordic Watchlist sits down with Sara Shirpey, who gives an outstanding performance in the Viaplay … Continue reading Sara Shirpey talks representation, social media and tackling sensitive issues in Viaplay’s Taelgia
A 1600km walk through Norway to Denmark isn’t the usual pre-show routine for an actor, but for theatre maker Tom Bailey the journey was just as important as the show itself. Taking time out of a busy Edinburgh Fringe festival … Continue reading Exploring Climate Change Through a 1600km Walk in Scandinavia with Tom Bailey
There’s a sense of breathless energy from page one of Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s Dark As Night, the fourth (out of a planned five) Áróra investigation series, an energy that’s maintained right to the final page. Following on from Cold As Hell, Red As Blood and White As Snow (and it does … Continue reading Dark As Night by Lilja Sigurðardóttir – Book Review
For international readers, David Lagercrantz’s name may be best known for picking up the mantle of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, having written three sequels of the Millennium series following the death of original author Steig Larsson. Lagercrantz is, though, an established author … Continue reading Fatal Gambit by David Lagercrantz – Book Review
Netflix’s Billionaire Island brings a mix of shady dealings, sex and salmon, as the streamer returns with a new Nordic series to get embroiled in. This one is special too, marking the return of creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin, … Continue reading Billionaire Island: Shady Dealings, Sex and Salmon
