Sensational Swedish crime finally dramatised
IT was a case so infamous, its setting became short-hand for any sensational crime in Scandinavia. And such was the behaviour of those involved, it also became a byword for denial – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary – across everything from politics to sport.
But it’s only now that what went down in the small Swedish community of Knutby around 20 years ago has been dramatised for a global audience.
While changing character names ‘‘out of respect and care’’ and adding or removing some situations, the makers of six-part Swedish crime drama The Congregation inform us right at the beginning that ‘‘any resemblance to reality is intentional’’.
When we first meet young
Anna Andersson (The Rain’s luminous Alba August), it’s 2004 and she’s despairing at how things have turned out. Guided by what she believes are divine texts, she appears to have landed herself in rather a lot of trouble. ‘‘This is not what I wanted,’’ she wails.
Flashback to two years earlier and she’s a university student, but one that, still haunted by the death of her mother almost a decade before, longs to belong somewhere. A day visit to Knutby for a picnic put on by the local parish may just provide salvation.
While flatmate Cilla (Matilda Esselius) cautions her against doing anything rash, Anna is captivated by the friendly community feel and the congregation’s charismatic leader Eva Skoog (Aliette Opheim). So when she’s offered a nannying position with pastor Sindre Forsman (Einar Bredefeldt) and his wife Kristina (Klara Hodell), she not only jumps at the chance, but decides to relocate.
However, Anna soon finds the tensions swirling around her somewhat overwhelming. Kristina isn’t onboard with the prescripted ‘‘assistance’’, Sindre keeps making inappropriate remarks, Eva’s attentions lead to some strange demands and one of the other young parishoners – Johnny (Nils Wetterholm) – catches her off-guard with a marriage proposal – one that Eva informs her she’s obliged to accept.
But while the wedding day still proves to be a happy occasion, the friction between Kristina and Eva becomes increasingly nasty, the former cutting a depressed and isolated figure as the latter piles on the physical and verbal abuse and essentially becomes a divisive third wheel in her relationship with Sindre.
Based on Jonas Bonnier’s 2019 novel Knutby, Bosnian director Goran Kapetanovic’s carefully crafted tale will not only appeal to fans of Scandi-noir and true crime dramas, but also religion-infused TV like The Path and Under the Banner of Heaven.
A strong cast help nicely build the tension in the opening episodes, Bredefeldt’s Sindre as hapless as Opheim’s Eva is manipulative and seemingly out to create a cult around herself. In the end, it’s the juxtaposition between the community’s outward preaching of peace and love and the gaslighting and power games that go on behind closed doors that turns this into a compelling watch.
The Congregation begins screening on Sky TV’s Rialto Channel at 8.30pm on Tuesday. Episodes will also be available to stream on Sky Go.