The Åre Murders: A Snow-Clad Thriller
After being suspended, Stockholm detective Hanna Ahlander, takes refuge in her sister’s holiday home in Åre, but the Åre Murders follow. But when a girl goes missing on a frigid Lucia night, her attempt at a peaceful retreat is shattered. When the local forces, headed by Daniel Lindskog, fail to crack the case, Hanna is compelled to help the overstretched police. The duo faces personal and professional challenges as they have to solve the mystery while exploring themes of trust, isolation and justice.|Nordic noir elements feature in the series, weaving together crimes and mysteries and the somber and reflective atmosphere. Recurring themes touch on trust, especially on areas where professional relations are strained. And the snow blotted Åre is a chilling place to set your isolation and desolation and your urgency and your tension and your suspense.
Carla Sehn and Kardo Razzazi play Hanna and Daniel well. Hanna is made all the more complex by portraiture of her as resilient in the face of personal turmoil from Sehn. Daniel steadies Razzazi’s Daniel’s skepticism with reluctant trust along the way. (Which isn’t to say the supporting cast doesn’t add depth to the story – it just does so to the tune of its already high tension and emotional layers.) Directed by Alain Darborg and Joakim Eliasson, the series benefits from a vision that is all told and all married to a graphic dark stew of style. It lives up to the mystery so effectively that each scene contributes to the overall mystery, and directs here viewers into the atmospheric tension, with the score playing in synchrony.
The series plays its score somewhat subtly. Using minimalistic themes that underplay the suspense but don’t take away from the story, it creates a more immersive experience without taking the eye away from the developing drama.
The use of cinematography to show the stark contrasts of the winter tableau in Åre is breathtaking. Big sweeps of wide shots of the sweeping snow-covered landscapes alternate with equally large shots of dimly lit interiors to bring in both the isolation of the place and, on the one hand, the individuality of this plot. The narrative is heightened with emotional depth from this visual approach
Production design credits with immaculate attention to every detail—rustic, cozy interiors to the forested, barren winter exterior—accurately depicts Åre. This makes the character’s reality more realistic and climaxes with the chilling atmosphere that is so much a part of Nordic noir.
Instead of relying on heavy special effects, the series uses realism with practical effects and sets that make the material authentic. Through the visual nuance of showing icy terrains with harsh conditions in the series, you have gritty texture.|The editing is being useful for the story by keeping the viewer on their toes, gradually uncovering layers of the case, all while stitching together past and present. Suspense is preserved throughout by the smart pacing.|Deliberate pacing of the series means a slow-burn mystery, careful things out. Some might balk at the methodical nature of this approach, but it gives writers more room to develop substantial characters and a more intricately plotted novel.|The dialog is sharp, and the dialog has the feel of everyone knowing at least one subtle emotional landscape or at least one very subtle way of hiding it.| It provides layers to character interactions mostly between Hanna and Daniel and in fact, it does very well in atmosphere and character exploration but has pacing issues that may test some of the audience’s patience. In addition, some of the plot twists are interesting, if not somewhat predictable, lacking a bite.
This is a gorgeous Nordic noir, with textured drama, psychology and breathtaking sights. A slow burn thriller, it hits on the doldrums and the search for truth in the beautiful but deadly Archipelago of Åre.
