Series of the Week: “The Bridge”
The Bridge of Revenge
I’ve never been a series enthusiast, like most of my friends, but the first one that really got me excited was the Swedish-Danish production “The Bridge” (“Bron / Broen”, SUE / DIN, 2011/2018). This series not only surprised me, but in addition to winning admirers worldwide, generated three remakes, one French-English, another American-Mexican, and a third one Austro-German.
And what makes this series different from so many others? In the first few minutes we are already surprised by an unusual police case that happens in the magnificent bridge that unites the two countries. In the middle of the night, exactly where the border between Sweden and Denmark lies, the body of a murdered person is found.
As the body was deposited exactly at the border, the police of the two countries are summoned, and a game of pushing about who should take the case happens. On the Swedish side, Inspector Saga Norén (Sofia Helin) does not want to give up the case, which seems very convenient for the Danish agent Martin (Kim Bodnia).
But when the corpse is lifted, the technicians realize that they were different people, who had been cut in half. As they investigate further, they discover that the victims came from both countries. Because of this, the two police decide to do the joint investigation.
The rhythm is slower than the usual American series, as the story is meticulously developed over ten episodes, and with each new clues and events points to the past of Martin and also the bridge that gives name to the series.
Despite the great performance of Kim Bodnia, who gives life to the series is the character of Sofia Helin. The policewoman have characteristics of autism that lead her to take unfriendly or even very strange attitudes, though none of this interferes with her ability to elucidate crimes. Several facts from his past will come to light over the four seasons of the series, released in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018, respectively.
But it is not just the magnificently told story that holds the attention of the viewer. The series music and photography are excellent, and the opening scene of the episodes is spectacular, making the bridge an additional character in the series. By the way, speaking of characters, what makes the story even more believable is the absence of “perfect characters”. Everyone in the series has qualities and flaws, just like any human being. A curious condition is the real scars that the actress Sofia Helin has in her face, a fact that would be inadmissible in Hollywood, or even in the Tupiniquins lands.
The success of the series has given rise to three remakes: “The Bridge”, with the action happening in the border between the United States and Mexico, “The Tunnel”, where the crime happens in Eurotunnel, that unitesFrance and England, and the recent “Der Pass”, still untitled in English, that takes place in the Alps between Germany and Austria.
The first season of the Anglo-French and American-Mexican versions followed the original story, with adaptations to local environments and problems, but the other seasons followed stories of their own.
The success of the Nordic version drew world’s attention to the excellent Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish and even Icelandic series, which is always an opportunity to escape the sameness of the American series.
Original Title: “Bron / Broen”