Tag: Sofie Grabol

PRISONER – TV Series Review

Sofie Grabol as Miriam in the Danish TV prison drama series “Prisoner.” Photo by Adam Wallensten. Courtesy of MHZ Choice

Prison films and series tend to pick one of the following themes: Action flicks with plenty of fighting, starring the likes of a Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme or Scott Adkins. Usually, it’s a good guy fighting for survival against overwhelming odds. Next would be the slew of sexploitation women-in-chains sort, using the premise as an excuse for nudity and other aspects of lurid appeal. Most were B movies that thrived in the 1970s –‘80s. The “Orange is the New Black” series classed that genre up considerably without losing its titillation value. Then there were high-quality character dramas like SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, COOL HAND LUKE and THE ROCK (the movie, not the actor). Finally come comedies like THE LONGEST YARD (original: great fun, remake: lame).

The six-episode subtitled Danish drama “Prisoner” (in Denmark, “Huset”) manages to break relatively new ground with a bleak, claustrophobic drama of variably flawed characters on both sides of the law in its first season.

The star is Sofie Grabol as Miriam – one of the guards trying to do right by the law and the prisoners in a corrupted system. She’s starred in three series I’ve covered this year, making her either Northern Europe’s hottest property, or there’s just a fortuitous coincidence among current exports. Either way, she’s a fine, versatile talent with 35 awards and nominations to date from several European bodies. She excelled as a police detective in “The Killing,” and as a hospital’s chief midwife in “The Shift.” Those set the bar higher than this outing could reach, though through no fault of hers.

Grabol looks to have been frumped up for this role, befitting a character long beleaguered by inmates,colleagues on the take, a dysfunctional work environment and a son whose drug habit and criminal ties add plenty to her burdens. And to the plot. Most of the show is from her perspective, along with Sammi (Youssef Wayne Hyvidtfeldt), the stuffy by-the-book new guard she helps to train. The prison has been running on a laissez faire policy of looking the other way on the prisoners’ drugs, contraband and periodic brawls or stabbings among rival factions. Letting them do their thing keeps the place relatively calm and makes the guards’ lives far easier. And safer. And for some, lucrative.

That all changes when well-meaning warden Gert (Charlotte Fich) announces that a new prison is being built, dooming one of three – possibly theirs – to closure, either ending their jobs or sticking them with a 75-mile commute to the nearest alternative position. Inspectors will be monitoring operations for three months to decide which Big House gets the wrecking ball. That pressures the guards to begin scouring cells for forbidden fruit, and enforcing all rules far more diligently than before, hoping to convince the brass to shut down one of the other two Graybar Hotels. Naturally, the inmates bristle at the sudden loss of pleasures and profits this imposes, putting all careers and bodies at risk.

Seems like the setup for a gritty, brutal drama, doesn’t it? Well, the trio of credited writers – two of whom also directed episodes – thought otherwise. They went for a slow-moving, highly cynical presentation, with little regard for arousing viewer empathy or adrenaline. Sets are mostly drab and dimly-lit, inside the prison and out. Not much in the sex/skin department; relatively shy on displays of brutality.

Miriam and Gert are generally the most sympathetic, but neither character’s actions make them protagonists to root hard for. For me, bonding with a worthy anchoring character or group is fairly essential to sustaining interest in what happens – more so for the time a series takes compared to movies. Perhaps they were focused on hammering home critiques of Danish and other prison systems as more of a political statement than entertainment product. If so, they achieved their goal. But that doesn’t make for must-see viewing. On the plus side, the six episodes end without cliffhangers of consequence, so it works as a complete miniseries if there’s ne’er to be a Season 2.

“Prisoner: Season 1,” mostly in Danish with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice as of Mar. 12.

RATING: 1.5 out of 4 stars

Charlotte Fich as Gert in the Danish TV prison drama series “Prisoner.” Photo by Adam Wallensten. Courtesy of MHz Choice

ATTACHMENT – Review

Josephine Park as Maja, David Dencik as Lev the bookseller, and Sofie Grabol as Leah’s mom, Chana, in ATTACHMENT. Photo credit: Soeren Kirkegaard. Courtesy of Shudder

ATTACHMENT is a strange little Danish indie drama that keeps viewers off-balance in several respects for a psychological, and possibly supernatural, suspense tale. It opens with Maja (Josephine Park) and Leah (Ellie Kendrick) having the sort of meet-cute at a Danish bookstore that usually kicks off a rom-com. Maja is a local actress whose career highs may already be behind her. Leah is a student from England who was raised in a Hassidic community. She came to Copenhagen to connect with her mother’s Danish roots. Chemistry kicks in quickly, and the two young women become lovers.

When a leg injury puts Leah on crutches, she stays there a few days longer than planned. That’s enough time for Maja to become so enamored that she accompanies her to London. The two move into Leah’s flat, which is the second floor of her mother’s building. That’s where it starts becoming obvious that this ain’t gonna be no comedy.

Leah’s mom, Chana (Sofie Grabol), is wildly over-protective, secretive and surly towards this outsider. Hassidic communities are always rather self-contained, and this blonde gentile is swimming in strange waters. Leah is mostly bed-ridden, and surprisingly tolerant of her mother’s hovering, which includes all sorts of rituals, amulets and artifacts to ward off evil spirits.

The only one who educates Maja (and the audience) about the culture, including Jewish mysticism, is Lev (David Dencik), the bookseller. Maja hears strange sounds at night, as a sense of danger lurks around the edges of the home and its occupants. Is Chana a nut case? Is Leah pathologically co-dependent? Or is there a valid reason for all the precautions against evil spirits?

That all makes ATTACHMENT a multi-pronged title, covering Maja’s romantic devotion to Leah; the tight mother-daughter bond; and whether some demonic entity is nesting within the home or its occupants. I can’t give you more without spoilers.

Writer/director Gabriel Gier Gislason does well wearing both hats. The script fills in a lot of essential Jewish education without detracting from the unfolding tale. As director, he keeps viewers in suspense and engaged within a rather claustrophobia-inducing set. Very little of the running time occurs outside the abodes of the three women, or in bright light. That accentuates the spooky side of the production. Performances from the three are excellent, which is especially admirable considering the range of moods required to flesh out their personalities and story arcs.

ATTACHMENT, in English and Danish with English subtitles, streams exclusively on Shudder starting Thursday, Feb. 9.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

THE KILLING – TV Series Review

A scene from the Danish TV series “The Killing.” Photo courtesy of Topic Entertainment.

This subtitled Danish TV crime drama series “The Killing”(original title “Forbrydelsen”) will impress you as either riveting or tedious, depending on how much time you want to spend on this binge. Like most European crime series, this one is more cerebral than visceral. Their fictional cops just don’t get into as many fights and shootouts as our made-up heroes. It runs 20 hours of a single, extremely complicated homicide, compared to the norm of solving such cases in an 8 – 10 episode season.

Sara Lund (Sofie Grabol) is a Copenhagen detective on her last day before moving to Sweden with her beau and son. She’s assigned to one last crime scene to break in her replacement, Detective Meyer (Soren Maling). The body of the young woman they find shows such prolonged and brutal treatment that Lund just can’t let it go, staying on the job much longer than planned. This is quite upsetting to both her family and colleagues – especially Meyer, who is something of a jerk, resenting her hands keeping the reins at his expense.

Suspects rise and fall like a game of whack-a-mole, as each new bit of evidence points the “J’accuse” finger at a different suspect, often seeming to exonerate the last one. Perhaps it was a crime of passion; there’s a strong chance of some political connection, greatly complicating the hotly-contested mayor election in process throughout the investigation. And just for another layer of confusion, this might be the work of a yet-undiscovered serial killer.

The script is highly intelligent, juggling more characters and plot lines than usual for the genre. We meet a slew of civilians affected by the tragedy and watch how lives crumble in various ways due to grief, suspicions and frustrations as each seeming explanation gets debunked by some other revelation. The political thread runs deeply and cynically throughout the season, with lines between the ones to like or dislike shifting and blurring constantly. Is the idealistic candidate (Lars Mikkelsen) as good as he seems, or involved in the murder and cover-up? Viewers can never be certain about who to believe or trust.

The 20-hour investment will be rewarded for those who have the discretionary time and patience. If you’re not geared for that length of involvement, don’t get started. You might wait for the release of its following seasons, in which the crimes at hand are resolved in about half the time, or less. Or you may be interested in the in the English-language remake (also titled The Killing) starring Mirielle Enos as Lund’s US counterpart. Both ran for several seasons.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars