mtd76 After a French national is murdered in Sámi territory in north Sweden, troubled investigator Kahina Zahdi (Leïla Bekhti) is sent out to investigate. She quickly learns there's a lot more at play.The small local police force is faced with the task of solving a gruesome murder, unheard of in the otherwise sleepy mining community. And when lead investigator Rutger Burlin (Peter Stormare) unexpectedly takes his leave, the investigation suddenly lands on the shoulders of the somewhat clumsy public prosecutor Anders Harnesk (Gustaf Hammarsten), whom hardly anybody holds in high regard. Tensions only worsen when it turns out the French murder is only the tip of the iceberg, which puts both the mining community as well as the Sámi on edge. There's even a minor role for the Kven people.Midnattssol offers an interesting window into Sámi culture, while succesfully contrasting the beauty and tranquility of the northern Swedish landscape and its six-month daylight with the dark cruelty of a troubled mind. While the mystification of Sámi customs may be a bit overdone, with at times incessant traditional joik singing and visions of reindeer, having a nåjd (Sámi shaman) make unexpected jokes lightens the mood sometimes.The series touches on quite a few issues, such as racism, the treatment of minorities and their fight for basic rights, acceptance of (homo)sexuality, the bonds between parents and children, greed, honesty, revenge, and international relations. Almost all main characters grow and develop considerably during this multilingual drama, and they all have their own issues to overcome.As a viewer, you really find yourself divided between the mining community and the Sámi, the motives of the murderer and the (not so innocent) victims, which in itself also reflects the inner turmoil of lead investigator Harnesk, who is half Swedish, half Sámi himself.Small wonder both Hammarsted and Bekhti were nominees for Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Actress in a Drama TV Series at the Montecarlo TV Festival, and Midnattssol won the Kristallen Best Drama of the Year award.Nice detail: the town of Kiruna does exist in real life, and it really plans to move in its entirety a few kilometres because of the iron mine.

rosanneb-06393 How people think that Mittnattsol is better than the Bridge baffles me. The Bridge is elegant, sophisticated, well-armed, and disarming because of the lead's issues. Mittnattsol is, in my opinion, none of those things. In fact, the more I watched, the more ridiculous and laughable.The series starts with a guy being killed by helicopter. I'm no physicist, but I'm assuming that would throw the chopper off balance. Next, a French detective is sent to Sweden to solve this crime as the victim was French, which happened.. Never. It happened in Sweden and thus its under Swedish jurisdiction.Zahina the female lead, seems to know all these things without having to investigate and makes incredibly poor choices all the time which just seem to magically work out.In fact, the whole series is filled with scenes which are very illogical and obviously only there to fulfill a function. Zahina goes to visit a suspect and hasn't slept. Anders calls her. They chat. She continues driving. She falls asleep but is jolted awake by - hey guess who - Anders again. With no news, just a really lame question which you wouldnt call for. What was the point? It's just one of the many illogical consequences that happen to save someone or provide a clue.Zahina's son hitchhikes to Sweden to ask if she's his mum. Why now? Not explained. Furthermore, he's a little mad that she ran away. They talk. They cry. In about one minute, with some dramatic music in the background, she explains everything and he has his answers. 9 Another thing - everyone who recieves a punch is knock-out instantly. How convenient.Comparing this to the Bridge actually makes me a little mad. There is no suspense, the acting is mediocre and the script seems like it's been written by a teenager. It's tacky, way too easy and the discoveries that lead to the plot twists aren't clever or ingenious, or even logical.

naeringsliv I was totally hooked on this one. So exciting and so thrilling! I give Midnight Sun a 10 out of 10, straight. The setting is almost in my neighborhood. It is just across the border from where I am, so I am familiar both with the landscape and the people. The eeriness just grabs me totally. Because it is somewhat an eerie landscape with some eerie people and buildings. It is not like that on the Norwegian side, so I have felt the spookiness myself several times. So boosting the eeriness that already is there, that works totally for me. But, people from other countries and other regions will not see it the same as I do, I guess. It is not just another foreign place far away that you can't relate to emotionally. That is the advantage when a series or film is from nearby.I don't want to comment to much about the actual things that are happening in the series, because it can easily be a spoiler for some. But I will tell that I was totally blown away sometimes, when I realized that things was not as they appeared. I thought; how on earth did they come up with that? Genius! I think the acting was pretty good. Nordic people can be somewhat like the Swedish investigator, so I don't want to criticize his acting. And yes, the most important. The Sami indigenous people have a lot of secrets. They are known to be able to do stuff, and to find out stuff in other ways than traditionally. They do have shamans even today. So I don't see any unrealism in that either. But of course it is boosted a bit. But not overly over the top. But I guess it can appear unreal for a foreigner.Bottom line: I did so much enjoy this series that I was almost speechless at times. I highly recommend it! It is a breathtaking thriller with lots of exciting and strange elements. And it is totally exciting all the time. I saw it on Swedish television, so I had to wait for each episode to be launched. And I could hardly wait! A very different thriller than the usual American stuff, and that is a good thing. Thumbs up - big time!

michellevamva Enjoying the story line and plot, with amazing shots and beautiful scenery. Not an action series, but great plot with some torture scenes. A hidden culture that surprises you and makes you wonder if they actually exist. Great to watch. The cinematography / style seems to be almost the same as Sense8. Love it.