🇸🇪 Love & Anarchy 🇸🇪
Love & Anarchy (Kärlek & Anarki) arrived on Netflix 4 Nov 2020. Netflix Original Series. 8 episodes 25-33min. Comedy, drama, romance. 15 Cert U.K.
Premise:
“Sofie, a career driven consultant and married mother of two. When Sofie gets an assignment to modernize an old publishing house she meets young IT tech Max, and an unexpected flirting game begins.”
Cast:
Ida Engvoll as Sofie
Björn Mosten as Max
Johannes Bah Kuhnke as Johan
Gizem Erdogan as Denise
Reine Brynolfsson as Friedrich
Björn Kjellman as Ronny
Olivia Castanho as Hilma
Crew:
Creator: Lisa Langseth
Writers: Lisa Langseth, Alex Haridi, Amanda Högberg and Antonia Pyk
Director: Lisa Langseth
Review:
The major theme of this show is social norms and the power they exert over us. The main character, Sofie, engages in increasingly challenging dares with Max, and these dares have several results. As a viewer one can physically cringe in embarrassment or laugh out loud as the dares unfold. Eventually however there are serious repercussions on Sofie, Max, their family, friends and colleagues.
More than just Sofie and Max however is the effect of social norms, expectations, upbringing, beliefs etc. upon a wide variety of other characters. For example: the way the story flags up conflicting social acceptance of exactly the same behaviours by different people, because of who they are.
Another theme (and this is one to be found in Fleabag, a show which immediately comes to mind when watching Love & Anarchy) is how individuals lose their true selves under external pressures. That can be from partners (as in Sofie’s case) parents (as in Max’s) or corporate expectations (as in Ronny’s).
This show also takes an unflinching look at mental illness, its effect on the person themselves but also everyone within their orbit.
Love and Anarchy is very funny, it is also extremely poignant. The writing is original and fearless, the whole cast are excellent. It does contain full frontal male and female nudity (those social norms at work again) and has some very sexy scenes, so if those are not within your comfort zone…
Personally I really liked this show a great deal, it’s originality is a breath of fresh air. I really hope that it has another season.
Official Netflix Trailer:
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Other Links:
Undercover: Netflix ~ Non-Spoiler Review
The Rain: Netflix ~ Non-Spoiler Review
Bordertown: Netflix ~ Non-Spoiler Review
Before We Die ~ Spoiler Review
Norsemen: Netflix ~ Non-Spoiler Review
Greyzone a Swedish-Danish Thriller ~ Spoiler Review
Lilyhammer: Netflix ~ Non-Spoiler Review