In recent years more work is done in partnerships and demand for unique voices is strong right around the world. Canadian material has reached such a high level of production in terms of story, acting and location that its audience is no longer limited to home geography.
In today's broadcast world, Canadians see some material from overseas on Canadian channels but it is still very limited. PBS continues to be a powerhouse but skews heavily British. Nothing wrong with that except there has been other exception material missed along the way.
Nordic Noir are the words to describe movies and series coming out of places like Sweden, Norway and now Iceland. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series out of Sweden is some of the best television you are going to find on Netflix. Occupied from Norway was amazing. And now from Iceland we have Trapped.
It is a series that can be found on Netflix and is now into its second season running 20 episodes. It is very binge-worthy. Each season revolves predominantly on one case and the complications that surround it. Agatha Christie being channeled through the beautiful lens of Iceland and story about a dogged police officer and his team.
The story takes place Seydisfjordur, an isolated port town in Eastern Iceland connected to other area by a single desolate road, airport and port. The Chief of Police Andri has left under a cloud from work in Reykjavik but still commands respect despite enemies. His family life is in turmoil. His wife has split up with him and is seeing someone new in the capital. His daughters, who remain with him, are school bullies. To make matters worse his wife is coming to town with the boyfriends to take the daughters away. All of this, of course, is happening under one roof as the weather worsens.
As a blizzard heads towards the town, a torso of a body is pulled from a fishing boat just as a ferry pulls into port arriving from the mainland bringing with it Icelander, assorted Europeans and others. The ship is held as Andri and his team of two officers try to figure out who the culprit is as the storms socks them in. No one can leave and no help can come in. And the murderer is most certainly in their midst.
The title Trapped certainly holds true over ten episodes. Haunting, suspenseful and full of twists, it is hard to stop watching. The writing, acting, production, music and beautiful scenery it makes it far from ordinary.
The second season of 10 episodes doesn't replicate the blizzard conditions but emphasizes how people and society themselves are trapped in patterns that are difficult to break. We catch up with Andri who is back in Reykjavik but who ends up heading back to Seydisfjordur because of an attempted assassination is linked to a militant group in the isolated town.
Once again murder drives the investigation but this time it is also right wing politics, international business, the environment, foreign workers and deep family secrets showing how people are trapped by the past, present and future. And poor Chief Andri has to deal with a daughter whose nose for trouble puts her in the path of a killer.
Old characters are re-visited and some are doing better than others. All of this again is shown amidst the beauty of Iceland and how it continues to try to pull itself up from the economic crisis of 2008. So much has been displaced and for many, such a the sheepherders clad in their Icelandic sweaters, it has brought out the worst in them. But there is more to it all and is rooted in the deep horrible secrets of one family in town.
The two seasons of this show are worth sitting through even with captions. As fine a production as you will find in the world.
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