🇸🇪 TORE 🇸🇪
Tore (2023) is a Swedish Netflix Original dramedy miniseries. It has 6 episodes of 29-34 minutes in length. Rated 15 U.K. In Swedish with subtitles.
Premise:
“When 27-year-old Tore loses the most important person in his life in a garbage truck accident, he does everything he can to suppress his grief.” IMDb
Cast:
William Spetz as Tore
Sanna Sundqvist as Linn
Hannes Fohlin as Erik
Peter Haber as Bosse
Karin Bertling as Heidi
Per Svensson as Per
Lotta Tejle as Ulla
Carlos Romero Cruz as Shady Meat
Victor Iván as Viggo
Doreen Ndagire as Lo
Leo Dahl Elfver as Alfred
Vide Sols as Lukas
Gisela Nilsson as Louise
Christian Wennberg as Johan
Albin Weidenbladh as Bartender
Crew:
Creator: William Spetz
Writer: William Spetz
Director: Erika Calmeyer
Composer: Per Störby Jutbring
Cinematographer: Karl Erik Brøndbo
Editors: Therese Elfström, Sofia Lindgren, Roberth Nordh
Production Designer: Sara Wiklund
Art Directors: Sara Sjögren, Therese Winberg
Costume Designer: Emelie Henriksson
Makeup Designer: Erika Nicklasson
Review:
This Swedish miniseries of just 6 short episodes has been on my radar ever since it was announced quite some time ago. I’m always keen to watch new series that have something original in their basic concept, such as this. What did I make of Tore?
There’s a lot to appreciate and enjoy watching Tore, not to say that it hasn’t got any flaws but, like its protagonist, any flaws are part of its charm.
Firstly, (and this is a key point for any production aiming at being funny) Tore made me laugh, hard and often, with a few cringes added for good measure. This is the funniest Swedish series I have watched. While not all the humour lands a great deal of it does. I love series and films that have tonal shifts and this is one of them (the juxtaposition does weird things to your emotions when watching).
Alongside the humour is the desperately sad side of this story of a young man who is lost, who runs away (literally and figuratively), making some truly terrible choices, resulting in awful results.
In truth, Tore is not the sort of wholesome, positive and always adorable protagonist that some viewers may require. Tore is a deeply flawed character but, for me, this did not stop me from empathising with him (even as he pressed his self-destruct button… yet again!) He self-medicates with drugs and sex leading to more than one fall.
This is very much a tale of how someone deals (or doesn’t) with the deepest grief and all the emotions that go along with that. It is also about someone finding themselves, how they fit in the world, what is really important to them and how they relate to others. One of the lines that seemed above all to fit what Tore needs to do is:
“To speak or to die!”
The visuals of Tore are just as good, from the very realistic and bland every day to the bright, neon, saturated nightclub scenes. This shift of colours worked extremely well for me as a viewer. I also loved the immediacy of the direction and the way the camera was used (from handheld to static shots). Adding to these visuals is good sound design and an excellent OST. I loved the “live” performances!
Tore was, for me, a breath of fresh air. It is a funny, shocking, tragic, emotional rollercoaster. I am sure this will, equally, not be everyone’s cup of tea because it is quite “in your face”. Meanwhile, however, I will await William Spetz’s next venture with keen interest.
Trailer:
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