Tobias Santelmann on set as King Olav the Holy. Photo: Lars Olav Dybvig
A new chapter in a multi-temporal tale Nordic Noir has become a distinct style within the crime genre. Shows like The Bridge, The Killing, and more recently The Chestnut Man, have captivated audiences worldwide with their down-to-earth characters, cold colour schemes, Nordic fashion and haunting landscapes. By Alyssa Nilsen
Crime shows often jump back and forth in time and space, with several locations and timelines intertwining, but none quite as expansively as HBO MAX’s Beforeigners. Taking place in Oslo, Norway, with reconstructed, ancient Nordic languages and the appearance of mythical and historical figures, Beforeigners presents Norwegian life, architecture, history and culture to the world. A cross between TV series like Vikings, Game of Thrones and Nordic Noir crime shows, Beforeigners explores what 116 | Issue 138 | January 2022
might happen if people from the past suddenly show up in our time with no memory of how they got here. Flashes in the Oslo fjord, followed by people appearing in the water, kick off the series where ‘time migrants’ from the Stone Age, Viking era and the 19th century all have to integrate and learn how to co-exist in the modern world. In the middle of it all, police officers Lars and Alfhildr have to navigate cultural structures, linguistics and personal problems to solve crimes. In addition,
multi-temporal interactions, power struggles and religious clashes between heathen and Christian Vikings, Völvas, Luddites and modern man complicate the ordeal. Season two, which premiered in December 2021, also introduces a storyline revolving around the infamous British serial killer Jack the Ripper. “But it’s not just entertainment,” says Norwegian actor Tobias Santelmann (known from among other things Exit and Atlantic Crossing), who plays Viking legend King Olav the Holy. “The creators of the show are also very elegantly shining a thought-provoking light on the deeper social issues that we still face today. And how, as a society, we choose to handle the larger problems and challenges in this world. They’ve just inserted it into a plot along with crime, Jack the Ripper,
