🇩🇰 Deliver Us 🇩🇰
Deliver Us (2019) aka as Fred till lands is a Danish TV crime, drama, thriller of one season available on Walter Presents All4 U.K., 8 x 1 hr episodes. Subtitled. No UK rating but I would assess it as a 15.
Premise:
“In a small town five people join forces and plan the perfect murder of the local town psycho only to realize that once you start playing God, it’s easy to end up as the Devil.”
Cast:
Claus Riis Østergaard as Peter
Anders Juul as Martin
Lene Marie Christensen as Bibi
Morten Hee Andersen as Mike
Dar Salim as Milad
Marijana Jankovic as Anna
Mads Romer as John
Jesper Riefensthal as Tom
Sylvester Byder as Kasper
Frieda Krøgholt as Mia
Viktor Skov Dahl Christiansen as Jakob
Crew:
Creators: Christian Torpe & Marie Østerbye
Writers: Christian Torpe, Marie Østerbye & Jakob Weis
Directors: Søren Balle, Louise Friedberg & Martin De Thurah
Cinematographers: Martin Munch, Lars Reinholdt, Marcel Zyskind
Stunt Coordinators: Anders Nylander Thomsen & Adam Brix
Stunt Driver: Valdimir Jóhannsson
Composer: Colin Stetson
Notes:
Søren Balle also directed: Equinox, The Rain, Follow the Money, Ride Upon the Storm and Norskov.
Review:
It was the trailer for Deliver Us combined with the impressive cast and the basic concept that generated my interest in this show.
Deliver Us is a powerful character-driven drama which at times has a hothouse intensity. It does require acceptance of Mike as an object of fear for some and hatred for others. If you cannot, as a viewer, put yourself into the shoes of the “victims”, at least initially then you may struggle with the storyline. This is an ensemble piece.
Each of the 5 adult characters who plot the demise of Mike is driven by reasons which are clearly defined although Bibi’s are more muddied than the others. We have revenge and a desire to protect as the main drives.
One of the major themes of this show is that of father-son relationships. We have a father left utterly bereft by the death of his son who is a danger to himself and others. Another three want to protect their sons from the physical and social danger posed by Mike. We have Mike’s father who is still alive but immediately seen to have a poor relationship both now and in the past.
Mike himself is an interesting character and I imagine this was a major appeal for Morten Lee Andersen who plays him. What and who he is and the reasons why are another main thread. Trying to avoid spoilers we do discover what makes Mike who he is and it is not because he was just born a psychopath! This is a role in which he really shows his acting chops, again.
The young, mentally vulnerable and easily influenced Kasper is another character that parts of the story revolve around. It is he who is most under the influence of Mike. Kasper’s journey away from Mike and the town itself is another aspect of the story.
Characters have secrets, some are long buried, hidden away into the recesses whereas others are alive and well but hidden in the shadows. We have secret love affairs and their fallout. Secrets that often come back to bite people in various ways. The very idea of guilt is also explored in a variety of interesting ways through these characters and their past and present actions.
The town in which they live is a character itself and it seems to be true by the end that leaving it is the best idea. This is a place where people talk and believe rumours but often do not have a clue as to what is going on under their very noses. Mike is most definitely not the only psycho in town!
The direction and cinematography are excellent as is the beautiful music score. The acting is fantastic and this is enabled by the excellent script. There is not a single weak performance in this. Dar Salim is outstanding as Milad the ostensibly unassuming one of the group. Anders Juul is great as the mess that is Martin. The palpable grief and its effects on Peter are brilliantly portrayed. Lene Marie Christensen is creepily wonderful as the immensely interesting but frightening Bibi.
Deliver Us is an excellent character-driven drama. It is complex without being burdened by subplots that have little bearing on the main storyline. If you are into dramas which are full of action then this may not be for you although there are action-packed scenes.
This is a drama that forces the viewer into considering not only what they might do under the circumstances but also how much they can empathise with people’s motives. It should also force one into considering what guilt is, who deserves punishment, what form that punishment should take and is it right for people to take things into their own hands.
I would very happily watch a further season of Deliver Us should one arrive at some point.
Awards:
Deliver Us has won 4 awards with another 8 Robert and Zulu Award nominations:
Wins: Copenhagen Film Festival (2020) Best Television Series
Robert Awards (2020) Best Actor ~ Morton Lee Andersen
Geneva International Film Festival (2019) Le Reflet d’Or Best International Television Series
Zulu Awards (2020) Best Actor ~ Dar Salim
Trailer:
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Great review which captures the flavour of a really good and ‘different’ series. I too would welcome another series!
Pam McArdle
Thank you for the great and positive feedback. We can hold out hope for another series.