A Nearly Normal Family Review: Directed by Per Hanefjord and screenplay written by Mattias Edvardsson, Hans Jörnlind and Anna Platt, the new 6-part mini series, A Nearly Normal Family aka En helt vanlig familj, consists of 6 episodes each with a runtime of 45 minutes. The best fact is that this series is an adaptation of famous author M.T. Edvardsson’s bestselling book of the same name and it’s surely worth the watch. Starring top actors like Christian Fandango Sundgren, Björn Bengtsson, Melisa Ferhatovi, Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors and Lo Kauppi, the Nordic Noir hits just right.
The series is produced by Pernilla Eriksson, Emma Hägglund, Iréne Lindblad, Anna Sofia Mörck, Peter Onsmark and Lars Wannebo. Uno Helmersson composed the music for all six episodes and the cinematography was handled by Gustav Danielsson. Sebastian Amundsen, Tomas Holmberg, Henning Mark and Thomas Täng are the pivotal people in the editing team. The main cast are Christian Fandango Sundgren as Christoffer ‘Chris’ Olsen, Björn Bengtsson as Adam Sandell, Melisa Ferhatovic as Amina Besic, Lo Kauppi as Ulrika and Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors as Stella Sandell.
A Nearly Normal Family Plot
Adam Sandell is a priest, Ulrika Sandell is a Lawyer and their daughter Stella Sandell is a sweet 19-year-old girl. As the title suggests, they’re the suburban family going on with their normal life until an unexpected day arrives. Stella Sandell gets into custody for the murder of Chris Olsen and her family isn’t ready to give up on her. From different perspectives, the story gets told however the ending leaves one baffled. Who is the real murderer? Is the family really normal or truly nearly normal? Do they all know each other well enough to comprehend the situation or are they pretending as the good family everyone wishes to have?
A Nearly Normal Family Review
It all starts when Stella is accused of murder that too of someone that she was close with. How would anyone even believe that such a tiny girl could kill someone? This is why things start heating in the Sandell family and everyone starts to share their piece of the story until the conclusion. Whoever has read the book already knows what’s going to happen and to those who haven’t touched the bestselling author, the visual adaptation is a feast.
Nordic noirs are always a hit as we look at a grim story in the most thrilling way. Nobody would want to watch a horror flick with a bright colour grading, would we? Likewise, the editors have accurately chosen the black/noir colours to sketch the tension in the Sandell family. Every POV and scene are perfectly inter-connected, making the viewers’ experience highly good. It feels as though we’re right next to them listening to their stories and feeling completely clueless about who the murderer is.
Coming to the actors, there couldn’t have been a better casting than the ones this series holds. Each one of them nails their characters spot on especially Christian Fandango as it’s not easy to act as Chris Olsen, a terrible person. On the flip side, the other main characters of the Sandell family really brought out the essence of families with deep dark secrets. They all look cheerful and calm but are so dark on the inside when we dig. Notably, Stella and Amina acted by Alexandra Karlsson and Melisa Ferhatovic have to be applauded for it isn’t easy to express PTSD and other signs of trauma without getting triggered or emotionally off.
Did the series satisfy the original book’s effect? Absolutely yes! However, there’s a twist in the end. While in the book the focus goes equally to all three main characters of the Sandell family, the director has prioritised Stella’s point of view to give a gripping ending. To make the viewers wonder how they miss out on the connections, Stella’s point of view is the mastermind behind all the distractions and the truth. While this indeed satisfied me, it might not work out for others, especially those who wanted to know the Sandell member’s share at the end.
Overall the series did its best and conveyed the thriller. Good acting, neat dialogues, no exaggerated scenes, and unnecessary add-ons. Even if the mini-series didn’t cover each and every aspect of the book it still bagged the needed ones and gave out a captivating drama.
A Nearly Normal Family is streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts on the Swedish drama in the comment section.
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