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Telly addicts

Danish drama - Families like ours

19 replies

NooNakedJacuzziness · 04/05/2025 08:46

Anyone watching this? It started on BBC4 last night. It's about the imagined collapse of Denmark and the enforced closure of the country due to rising waters. The entire population have to leave and go and live elsewhere - the assistance you get from the state depends on how wealthy/connected you are. The wealthy look to be headed to Paris but others are looking at Belarus/Romania as their only options.

I thought it was really different and was engrossed after a bit of a slow start.

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imfae · 04/05/2025 13:22

Thanks for the heads up . Sounds interesting and love Denmark . Will give it a go .

Moanranger · 04/05/2025 13:59

Yes, watched. See what I think. Strange staring eyes on young female protagonist, wanting to take all & sundry to Paris? Hmmm…

NooNakedJacuzziness · 04/05/2025 14:16

It made a change to watch a drama that isn’t the same old “woman found murdered” trope, I think it’s a really interesting idea

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IwantToRetire · 04/05/2025 22:05

I was going to start of thread on this, but waited until I had watched it, as not really in line with what is normally the Nordie Noir slot!

I thought the idea, plot line really intersting.

But after 2 episodes finding it a bit pedestrian, and almost clunky in its effort to show look how people from a well off northern european country find themselves have to deal with the issues that refugees from other countries (often fleeing the consequences of climate change) have to deal with.

But will probably stick with it as interested to see the story line.

MixedFeelingsNoFeelings · 05/05/2025 16:11

Yes, really enjoying it, though with an uncomfortable underlying feeling of 'it could actually happen'. It's certainly curtailed my vague ambition to move to East Anglia. But the catastrophic trigger doesn't have to be rising sea levels, it could be a cyber attack, some form of weapons attack, social/economic/environmental breakdown... sorry to be a doomsayer but with the current state of things there are several scenarios we can envisage, and probably several 'black swans' we can't.

I really admire the way they've made the situation so normal and conceivable - depicting the terror and confusion of being torn out of the world you know, whether you're comfortably off or not, and finding yourself at the mercy of bureaucrats, strangers and employers in the lucky population.

Disaster and dystopia plots usually focus on the adventure of being on the road, the fight for survival, search for salvation etc. It's romantic life-and-death stuff, and love, family and community tend to win out in the end.

But in this drama, a likely outcome for those who find they can't support themselves when their property becomes worthless overnight (including, presumably, "families like ours" who watch foreign language dramas) is a tiny apartment in a decaying Bucharest tower block. And a family scattered across countries, with little possibility of travel.

I'm really enjoying (if that's the word) the hardworking imagination that's gone into this - examining how such an event might play out in reality, rather than falling back on the usual conventions of fiction.

IthinkIamAnAlien · 05/05/2025 16:19

I watched it and thought it was really interesting and well observed in the different ways people react to catastrophe. We lived in Oxford during the 2007 floods and our streets were filled with water, lots of houses flooded but up the nearby hill, people were chatting in the streets and washing their cars, for them, the floods weren't real.
I thought the plot of this series was quite believable and I wondered if the Dutch government might already have imagined a scenario along these lines as the Netherlands is so low lying.
Well done the Danes, it's so good to see intelligent filming.

IwantToRetire · 05/05/2025 21:54

I've now watched 4 episodes and am finding it quite gripping.

As PP have said it is a wake up call to think what any of us might face if some catastrophe made our country no longer viable (for Denmark the cost of having to constantly pump water out I think was the trigger).

And also a useful visualisation of the consequences many refugees fleeing war and famine have to try to adjust to should they have to flee their homes.

I think to begin with I found so many of the people irritating that it got in the way of the plot development!

IwantToRetire · 06/05/2025 20:29

I've finished it now and am quite clear I would not survive.

I suspect I would be like most of the men (sadly) who seemed over the top most of the time, taking stupid decisions in an arrogant way. Whilst mainly the women remained calm and sensible.

Wont post any spoilers as yet, but when anyone else gets to the end would be interested to know what they thought.

NooNakedJacuzziness · 06/05/2025 20:36

I’ve only seen the first 2 episodes, it’s my new Saturday evening viewing so I’m going to try not to binge. Do carry on and discuss though, I’ll cover my eyes!

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IwantToRetire · 06/05/2025 20:36

Just being a bit nerdy I remembered there is an online map you can look at to see what would happen around the world if sea levels rose. And yes a lot of Denmarks coast line would disappear at 10 metre rise.

But in the UK Cambridge, Peterborough, York and Doncaster would become coastal cities, and Hull and Blackpool would disappear under water. And a lot of London along the river Thames. Shock

https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/9/360.2233/53.2366/?theme=water_level&map_type=water_level_above_mhhw&basemap=roadmap&contiguous=true&elevation_model=best_available&refresh=true&water_level=10.0&water_unit=m

deeahgwitch · 06/05/2025 20:51

I’m watching it but finding it very slow. I’ve only watched 1 episode.
I checked out that map re sea levels rising @IwantToRetire
I’m in Ireland, near the coast and we would be f*cked.

😮😱

Nomorepants · 06/05/2025 23:26

Thanks for recommending it. 2 episodes in & think it’s interesting. Imagine a British version would be more disordered by now.

IwantToRetire · 07/05/2025 01:12

deeahgwitch · 06/05/2025 20:51

I’m watching it but finding it very slow. I’ve only watched 1 episode.
I checked out that map re sea levels rising @IwantToRetire
I’m in Ireland, near the coast and we would be f*cked.

😮😱

Yes I nearly gave up after the first 2. But stayed with it to see how they would deal with the situation.

Yes the map is quite scary.

I think I would end up very near a large estuary, rather than being in just one of many rows of houses.

Hmm
IwantToRetire · 07/05/2025 01:15

Nomorepants · 06/05/2025 23:26

Thanks for recommending it. 2 episodes in & think it’s interesting. Imagine a British version would be more disordered by now.

Your dont think we will form orderly queues, with the odd break out of queue rage? Grin

Nomorepants · 07/05/2025 07:39

IwantToRetire · 07/05/2025 01:15

Your dont think we will form orderly queues, with the odd break out of queue rage? Grin

Nope. Even the violence & drinking seemed quite tame.😆

NooNakedJacuzziness · 07/05/2025 12:26

We’d have had a huge rush on toilet paper for sure!

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Pianoaholic · 07/05/2025 12:33

I watched the first 2 episodes and won't binge it, will just watch on Saturday.
I enjoyed it, but i usually enjoy scandi dramas. State of Happiness, about the Norwegian oil industry, also on bbc4, was good, although I didn't enjoy the 3rd and final series as much.
I thought this was an interesting idea, and believable enough, unfortunately.

Alanjoy · 13/05/2025 01:11

Watched the first 3 episodes, not watching any more as I find it too depressing. With everything going on in the world, I'd rather have some escapism TV. Sorry about that but I'm out.

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