Category Archives: Dysfunctional Lives

2007, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Boating, Bullying, Depression, Detective, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Gay theme, German, Jealousy, Lawyers, Mental Illness, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Revenge, Swedish Detective, Uncategorized

Inspector and the Sea (2007)

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From MHz Choice:

Based on the international best-selling mystery novels by Mari Jungstedt, the blockbuster German crime series The Inspector and the Sea is set on the idyllic Swedish island of Gotland. Walter Sittler stars as Robert Anders, a laid-back German police inspector who has moved to the island to be with his Swedish wife, Line, and their two children.

From MHz Choice you can stream 2 seasons of this German production that takes place in Sweden.  Each season offers 6 episodes each of which lasts 1.5 hours.

Each episode is self-contained although the family theme continues throughout both seasons. In fact all the stories center around the Anders family and their social group such as friends, relatives, and their children’s school society.  Throughout Robert Anders and his wife Line and their children have their problems, the worst of which is that Robert is so busy with his detective work that he somewhat neglects his family. In my experience this “neglectful detective” theme is present  in the majority of such TV series.

After watching a few episodes, Kathy and I find that the Swedish society, at least as it is portrayed in this series, is somewhat ugly: high school children are as entitled and cruel as their unfaithful parents.

Despite the defects of the portrayed Swedish society, the plots, characters, and acting (for the most part) are excellent and make watching such long episodes well worth the effort.

2008, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Detective, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Father-son relations, Forensics, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Norwegian, Norwegian Crime Story, Norwegian Detective, Police Story, Revenge, Suspense, Transvestite theme, Violent

Unni Lindell (2008)

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From MHz Choice:

In this series based on the popular crime novels by prolific Norwegian author Unni Lindell, middle-aged detective Cato Isaksen (Reidar Sørensen) performs superbly at work while his personal life, on a good day, resembles barely-managed chaos. Careening between significant others and keeping up with three young sons by two different mothers, Cato tries his best to do right by all the players.

From MHz Choice you can stream 4 stories about Cato Isaken, a Norwegian detective. Each story is composed of 2 episodes where each episode is 1.5 hours.

From “The Euro TV Place”  I found this review of the TV series which characterized the series as mediocre.  However, I found the series more than passable with lots of the kind of tension which compels me to keep bingeing toward a resolution.

Cato Isaksen, the lead detective, is a determined detective and as a result a somewhat negligent family man. His life is really messy, complicated by fathering a child by a post-divorce girl friend.  He leaves the girlfriend after the first story “The Snake Bearer” but continues leading a troubled family life. In subsequent episodes his son is seriously bullied while the detective is too busy to notice.

WARNING: Ugliness abounds in some of the episodes, as in “not for the squeamish.”

In my opinion you will not be wasting your time on this series. In fact I was so caught up that I will rate it, for those of you who enjoy this genre, a DO NOT MISS!

2013, Acceptable for teenagers, Accidental Death, Alcoholism, Antique Cars, Bloody scenes, Boxing, Brother-Brother relations, Bullying, Circus, Dancing, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Illegitimate Child, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Norwegian, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Plot Twist, Rape, Sex Scenes, Slow, Teenagers, Unmarried mother, Violent

The Half Brother (2013)

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From IMDB:

The life of a family spanning five generations in the 20th century Europe split in half by WW2, centering around the half brothers Barnum and Fred growing up together in Oslo; Barnum with his father, Fred searching for his.

From MHz Choice:

Based on the internationally acclaimed and best-selling novel by Norwegian author Lars Saabye Christensen, The Half Brother is an evocative family saga revolving around the life of un-produced screenwriter Barnum Nilsen. His family is laden with oddities and secrets, the darkest of which happened on the same day all of Europe rejoiced over the end of WW II.

From MHz Choice you can stream the only season of this complete family saga. Each of the 8 episodes is about 45 minutes.

Past and present flashbacks weave through Barnum’s writing the story of his troubled family. There are not too many characters: Barnum and his half-brother Fred, their mother Vera, Vera’s mother Boletta, Boletta’s mother, Vera’s husband Arnold,  and Barnum’s two best friends Peder and Vivian (who marries Barnum).  Although the plot is easy to follow, there are many plot twists and turns all of which end with a genuine surprise.

Kathy found the film slow at times, but I found the relaxed pace was perfectly suited to the story of two boys trying to understand their lives.  Now days it is hard to find unusual but truly human family stories. Note however that there are rape, violence, bullying, heavy drinking and at least temporary surrender to real difficulties.

For me this series rates a DO NOT MISS!

2012, Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Women, Adopted child, Adultery, Arson, Asperger's Syndrome, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Complicated, Crime, Dark, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Forensics, MHz Choice, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Police Culture, Police Politics, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Swedish Detective

Camilla Läckberg (2012)

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From MHz Choice:

Camilla Läckberg’s beloved characters return in a TV series based on three of her bestselling mystery novels. Set in Fjällbacka on the west coast of Sweden, Detective Patrik Hedström and his fiancée, the novelist Erica Falck, become enmeshed in complex crimes affecting all the residents of the tiny coastal community.

Jean Edith Camilla Läckberg  is a Swedish crime writer. As of the early-2010’s, her work has been translated into at least 40 languages in 60 countries.

Our last review was for “The Hidden Child” which was a stand-alone presentation streamed from MHz Choice of one of Camilla Läckberg’s stories.

This review of a series streamed from MHz Choice contains 3 more stories from Camilla Läckberg:

“The Preacher”: presented in one 1.5 hour episode.

“The Stonecutter”: presented in two 1 hour episodes.

“The Stranger”: presented in two 1 hour episodes.

Amazon sells all 8 books of the author’s “Fjällbacka ” series.

As with “The Hidden Child” the stories are grim, and the inter-personal relationships important. Another DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2008, Acceptable Trash, Acorn TV, Amusing banter, Australian, Australian Aborigine, B-movie, Brother-Brother relations, Corny at times, Divorce, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Greed, Horses, Nothing special, Nudity, Police Culture, Prison, Sex Scenes, Soap Opera, Suicide, Surfing, Teenagers, Trailer Life

East of Everything (2008)

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From AcornTV :

In this addictive Australian drama, travel writer Art Watkins (Richard Roxburgh, Rake, Moulin Rouge!) is forced to return home to Broken Bay when his mother dies and dictates in her will that he reopen the family resort along with his estranged brother, Vance (Tom Long, SeaChange).

From IMDB:

2 brothers who are always at odds are forced by their just-deceased mothers’ strange will to work together and rescue her deteriorating backpack hostel called ‘far out east’. A small town, Broken Bay, is home to most, but not all, of the characters where they work, play and generally get into trouble. A funny, sometimes sad look into the lives of people who are just trying to be themselves.

From AcornTV (all things British) you can stream 2 seasons of this Australian soap opera.  Season 1 has 6 episodes. Season 2 has 7 episodes. Each episode is about an hour.

Even if it is only a B-grade soap opera, still it is relaxing to watch a show without violence, serial killers, and other grim features. Season one is self-contained but leads naturally into season 2.  Many of the characters are somewhat eccentric or hippie or dopey or all of the above.  Other adjectives such as corny or maudlin or predictable come to mind.

Not exactly an enthusiastic recommendation.

2011, Abduction, Action Film, Adultery, Bank Robbery, Bloody scenes, Boating, Cancer theme, Car Chase, Chase film, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, FBI, Forensics, Gangs, Grim, International thriler, Iraq War, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Murder, Nudity, Plot Twist, Psychopath, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Spy Theme, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Swiss detective, Terrorists, Thriller, Torture, TV Series, Various Romances, Violent, Well developed plot

Arne Dahl (2011)

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From MHz Choice:

Rough. Raw. Real. This is the world of Arne Dahl, whose crime novels have been transposed to the screen in adaptations that follow the dramatic tradition of all best-selling Scandinavian thrillers. The series revolves around cases taken on by the ‘A Unit’, an elite force of officers recruited after a series of assassinations rocks Stockholm’s high society.

MHz Choice streams several seasons (from many years beginning with 2011) of this Swedish thriller.  There are 5 complete stories, one per different year. Each story consists of 2 episodes. Each Episode is about 1.5 hours long. Swedish script with English subtitles.

REVISION 1 (Feb 2021):

There are now 2 seasons available from MHz Choice.  In the second season several of the excellent first season actors are missing or have been replaced.  Season 2 is acceptable, but not (in my opinion) a good as season 1.  Season 2 is a bit more of a soap opera. Still worth watching.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Throughout the 5 stories the same team of detectives are together. As is usual in such productions, the personal lives of the detectives are easily as important as the mystery plots.

As powerful and as grim as the stories are, they are so well done that they are really worth watching. But you should expect blood, torture as well as some explicit sex. Many scenes involve foot or car chases.

Not only are the stories complicated, but there are many surprise turns including some endings you might not expect.

This series is so compelling that I will rate it a DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2017, Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Women, Adultery, Amnesia, Cult Brainwashing, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Family Conflict, Forensics, Horses, Jealousy, Kidnapping, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Murder Investigation, Personality or religious cult, Police Culture, Religious Theme, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Transvestite theme

Missing (2017)

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From IMDB:

Police superintendent Maja Silver goes back to her old hometown in the Swedish Bible belt to see her daughter, when a terrible discovery paralyzes the small community.

Helena Bergström stars as Maja Silver in this Swedish TV series streamed from MHz Choice.  Only season 1 is available and consists of 4 episodes, each about 45 minutes. Swedish with English subtitles.

Religious fanaticism is the center of this series. Someone is driving young women to commit suicide. Police inspector Maja, on a visit from Stockholm to see her estranged daughter, reluctantly agrees to head the case in the small town after the police chief dies suddenly of a heart attack.

All the usual police detective soap opera pieces are in place: a jealous colleague, a former lover, an estranged daughter, a resentful police force, a transvestite father, a sexual predator, and a few religious perverts and nutcases.  None of these elements detract from a compelling four-part series.  Until the last portion reveals the answer to the puzzle I suspected the wrong person.

Try your luck at guessing who is abducting the women.

2017, Acorn TV, Arson, Bloody scenes, Child custody, Contract Killing, Crude Talk, Dark, Depression, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Fishing, Forensics, Gloomy, Lawyers, Murder Investigation, Nazis, Nudity, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Small Town Atmosphere, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, TV Series, Violent

Rebecka Martinsson (2017)

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From Acorn TV:

Swedish with English subtitles. Based on Asa Larsson’s celebrated and popular crime novels, the series takes place in the bleak Northern Environment and revolves around Rebecka Martinsson (Ida Engvoll) a Stockholm lawyer. When a childhood friend suddenly dies Rebecka reluctantly returns to her hometown. But not everything is what it seems and she’s drawn into the gripping pursuit of a killer.

Although MHz Choice offers only foreign language TV with English subtitles, in this case it is exceptionally Acorn TV that streams this particular TV series. Recall that Acorn TV claims to offer only shows from countries associated with the British empire.

Season 1 offers 8 episodes. Each two episodes comprise one complete story.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Watching from the beginning is important because, in addition to the detectives solving murders,  all 8 episodes show continuous developments in Rebecka’s life  as a young adult.

This series was a lucky find. Not only are the stories original and out of the ordinary, but the writing and acting are excellent.

Daily life in Sweden is presented in all its frigidity,  gloom, and hardship. But one of Rebecka’s conflicts is whether to continue her successful career as a Stockholm corporate lawyer (and marry one of her fellow employees) or to remain in the cold north where she grew up. Rebecka is played by a Swedish actress named Ida Engvoll. Despite her golden-haired beauty, the story line puts her through much anguish, including a stint in a mental hospital for clinical depression. For much of the series her eyes are made up to be sunken and red making her look downright miserable.  Her relationship with a one-armed police dog handler is an important part of the series, and in fact seems to lead to an as yet unavailable new season.

For a detective series I vote DO NOT MISS!

2017, Acceptable for children, Child custody, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Family Conflict, Mathematician, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Psychological Drama, Suicide, Uncle-Niece relations

Gifted (2017)

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From IMDB:

In this wonderfully moving film, a single man (Chris Evans) strives to give his child prodigy niece (Mckenna Grace) a normal life, despite interference from the girl’s grandmother.

British Airways offered this gem of a film on a flight to London.

Chris Evans, in a break from adolescent action films, gives a sensitive performance as a higher education drop-out, Frank Adler,  who scrapes by repairing small boats.  His sister was a brilliant mathematician who committed suicide, leaving her equally brilliant young daughter Mary without a mother.  Evelyn Adler, Frank’s mathematician mother, is a grandmother from hell who wants her granddaughter to do nothing but develop her prodigious abilities in mathematics. Trying to provide Mary with a normal happy childhood means Frank must engage in a constant tug-of-war with Evelyn.

Not only because this is a positive well played film, but also  because it has a happy ending (for a change),  I am recommending this film.  However, expect to shed a few tears before you reach the happy conclusion.

DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2014, Arson, Bloody scenes, Boating, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister Relations, Bullying, Child abuse, Detective, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Insurance Fraud, Jealousy, Lawyers, Made For TV, Marital Infidelity, Melodrama, MHz Choice, Mildly Violent, Murder, Nudity, Physical child abuse, Soap Opera, Suicide, Swedish, Swedish Soap Opera, Various Romances

Thicker Than Water (2014)

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This Swedish series was reviewed after season 1 was released. Since then season 2 was released.

SEASON ONE

From IMDB:

A mother sends postcards to her estranged son and daughter inviting them back to the guest house they grew up in. She gives each of her children one piece of advice and leaves them to ponder the meaning.

From MHz Choice:

DRAMA | SWEDISH | SWEDISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES |
A mother’s attempt to reunite her three adult children forces them to confront dark family secrets in this atmospheric drama set on an idyllic Swedish island.

MHz Choice offers only Season 1 with its 10 episodes, each lasting about one hour. For the best listing of the episodes see IMDB.

Here is an involving soap opera about sibling rivalry between two brothers and a sister who agree to run the island hotel for one year.  Brother Oskar and wife Liv have been running the hotel all along. Brother Lasse is a bit of a crook and once or maybe still loves Liv. Sister Jonna is an aspiring actress.

Swedes drink a LOT of alcohol. Such a potboiler!

SEASON TWO

Shakespeare would heartily approve this “Shakespearean Tragedy”.  Season Two begins when Lasse returns to the hotel for Christmas only to discover that Liv has been absent for months and Oskar lives in a depressed drunken state. As a result the hotel is a mess and completely unprepared for the Christmas hotel guests.

Things continue for 10 episodes (lasting about 45 minutes each ) to go steadily downhill with lots of complications which can be summarized by a quote that is mistakenly attributed to Shakespeare:

“Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive. ” – Sir Walter Scott (Marmion, 1808)

Beginning with the cover-up of the murder of the father of the siblings, one deceit leads to another.  Along the way we experience more murder, counterfeit money, betrayed young love, determined police work, love affairs gone wrong, and a final tragic ending in which only Jonna gets a chance for happiness.

In good conscience I could not let you sit through season 2 without first warning you. Despite the warning, as soap operas go, this series of episodes is well done.