If you watch about 100 TV shows a year for around a decade, you will come to the same realization that I have, which is that there aren’t really any new stories to tell. I mean, there are many untold tales out there, but they are either too controversial, too political, or too complex to be adapted into a series meant to be consumed on a streaming platform that has to attract advertisers with their own twisted policies and arbitrary rules. These restrictions lead to the establishment of a formula that is approved by the producers, the artists, and most importantly, the streaming platform; the audience is still a gamble. Now, if this formula is in the hands of an expert storyteller, you are going to be so overwhelmed by the emotions, the themes, and the performances that you’re not going to care if things end up being predictable. I think Task is a great example of that. However, if that same formula is put to use by a storyteller who’s competent yet unimaginative, then you are struck with this feeling that you watched some iteration of this narrative before. And I feel like Land of Sin is a good example of that. Is it still worth a watch? Let’s find out.
Peter Gronlund’s Land of Sin tells the story of police investigator Dani. She has an estranged biological son named Oliver and a foster son who also doesn’t live with her anymore named Silas. One day, she gets a call from Silas’ ailing biological father, Ivar, who tells her that Silas has gone missing. After reaching the village Silas hails from, Dani and her newly assigned partner, Malik, try to start searching for the kid but are halted in their tracks as Silas’ dead body shows up in a creek. While attending Silas’ wake, Dani and Malik understand the complicated family politics at play surrounding the titular land. Ivar and his wife, Boel, have (or had) three children: Silas, Vera, and Kimmen. Ivar’s brother, Elis, and his wife, Katty, have two sons: Jon and Harald. Elis’ land is suitable for farming, while Ivar’s half isn’t; hence, he relies on his livestock, which isn’t as profitable as agriculture. That does seem like reason enough to resort to murder, but before Dani and Malik can get into the nuances of this conflict, not only does another dead body show up, but also, Oliver is arrested under suspicion of murdering Silas. Whether or not Dani will be able to solve this mess and free her son is what forms the crux of the story.
As mentioned earlier, the murder mystery angle of Land of Sin didn’t really impress me. If you are reading this review before watching the TV series, here’s what you should do: write down your predictions for who Silas’ killer might be after the first episode. There’s a solid chance that you are going to be right. If this is your first time watching a TV show, then maybe you’ll experience some mild shock. Or else, yeah, the surprise factor of the narrative is pretty low. I am going to give Gronlund the benefit of the doubt and say that that’s kind of the point, so that our focus remains on the circumstances under which that murder has happened. He sheds light on the drug peddling that’s going on in small towns and villages in Sweden and how youngsters are losing track of what they should do in life because they are being influenced by seasoned gangsters. Without giving away too much, I am going to guess that the conflict around the land is a critique of government policies and how they are misused by people driven by greed. And since families are involved, you can see this whole thing as a commentary on parenting and how disputes over stuff like land can break the worldview of the children who are growing up in that toxic environment. Is all of this presented in a thought-provoking way, though? Yeah, kind of.
Land of Sin didn’t have any reason to be a five-part limited series. This could have been a feature film, and nobody will be able to convince me otherwise. There are so many scenes that add nothing to the plot, they don’t evolve the characters in meaningful ways, and it’s just not interesting to sit through. I don’t know who saw all that footage and thought that this story should be told over the course of several episodes and not an efficiently edited movie, but they need to use their brain instead of letting the streaming platform’s algorithm influence their thoughts. Maybe this is a hot take, but if the stuff that you have written translates to 5 episodes, edit it into a feature film; if it goes beyond 8 or 10 episodes, then let it be a series. The visuals are sort of the show’s saving grace. The whole thing is very morbid and desaturated. But the shot composition and the manner in which every frame is layered with several elements that reflect the mental state of the characters are laudable. If there’s some special award for wide shots, this show will certainly take it. The music is serviceable. The costume design is forgettable. The production design and art direction are just fine. I think I would have been more forgiving towards these aspects of the show if the pacing was better.
Coming to the performances in Land of Sin, Krista Kosonen does all the heavy lifting, and she is goddamn phenomenal. It’s a shame that this performance will probably be forgotten by the end of this month even though it should be remembered till the end of the year and possibly beyond. Mohammed Nour Oklah is pretty good, and his chemistry with Kosonen is so cool that I wish he had more screentime. Peter Gantman delivers an incredibly stoic performance. It can seem a little one-note, but thankfully Gantman gets to switch things up towards the end to expose his character’s vulnerable side. Out of the supporting cast, Lisa Lindgren and Ywonne Trejling stood out to me, and that’s largely because, despite their limited screentime, they were able to hint at the ups and downs their respective characters had endured over the course of several decades. The child actors are all great, especially Harry Westerlund, who made me want to reach through the screen and protect him from the vicious family politics. All in all, neither was I blown away by the limited series, nor was I utterly infuriated. It’s just there, and I watched it. Do I recommend giving it a watch? Yeah, sure. Why not? At least it’s better than the final season of Stranger Things.
