Netflix’s finest are from Europe
Tags: Europe, Netflix, Movies, Nordic Noir, Series

Netflix’s finest are from Europe

‘Broadchurch’, ‘Trapped’, ‘Deadwind’ and more

Photo by Samet Özer on Unsplash

I almost never watched any European content until the pandemic hit us. The pandemic situation changed everything from the way we live to the stuff we watch. It is quite natural to run out of stuff to do as you start spending more time indoors. How much can one sleep? One of my best friends would disagree; this person can sleep upward of 14 hours in one go! How much can we stay indoors and be indulged by the technology that we have bought? I recently bought a PlayStation 4 and I can vouch that this is one of the most exponential upgrades done by anyone. It can sound a bit exaggerating, but it isn’t. The last time I played any game( barring the mobile games) was when I was in the 8th grade or so. That is more than a decade back. But trust me, buying the PlayStation was one of the worst investments I have ever made. I find it boring. It has been a month since I bought it but I have hardly used it.

Anyways, I realized that the only thing that I do not get bored of is watching movies and series. And I thank the current scenario for just this, because I discovered some of the best content out there recently. I have always been a fan of American movies and series. I never bothered to watch anything outside that, especially when it comes to series. But recently I found myself in a situation where I ran out of stuff to watch.

And what do you do when you run out of things to do? You start something that is out of your comfort zone. So I started watching Kingdom in Netflix (not to be confused with the Asian martial arts stuff). It is an American series about an ex-MMA fighter and his gym that he operates with his girlfriend. I did not want to watch this. I did not even decide to watch this after I read about it or something. I was just randomly searching for new series to watch and I decided that I would give this one a chance because I love Frank Grillo. Trust me when I say this, because this show is the best series out there. And mind you, I am a Breaking Bad fanboy.

Kingdom is the perfect balance between action and emotions. I have never seen another series that has captured human emotions so beautifully. But I need to admit this- this show is also one of the most depressing ones I have ever watched. Every character is broken, just like the people we know. Deeply flawed. Real. Raw.

Once I finished watching Kingdom, I went into this state of denial for a week or so. I felt sad. I felt depressed. I wanted more. But hey, you cannot always get what you want. So another random search led me to a European series called The Forest. I highly recommend this show to anyone who doesn’t like watching lengthy stuff. This is a perfect short series for a thrilling weekend binge-watch. The acting is top-notch and the story is intriguing enough to keep you in the seat.

The Forest interested me in trying out more from Europe. I started watching Young Wallander. It is a noir detective crime thriller with great acting and a good enough story. I personally believe that it deserves a better rating in IMDB. I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves watching noir stuff.

After finishing Young Wallander, I started watching Broadchurch. Now this one is quite something. Incredible, I repeat, incredible performances throughout. It is a beautiful story with great cinematography as well. I highly recommend this one to all of you who want to watch some quality stuff.

I could not get enough of Broadchurch. I hope they come with more seasons. After Broadchurch, I finished watching Trapped, a crime series set in Iceland. This is very interesting, because most of us know Iceland as a small island nation with very little to no crime at all. Watching Trapped hence is an amazing experience. Iceland is my dream destination ever since I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mittie. Watching Trapped was however more informative. It was delighting to know more about my most favorite destination in the world.

Currently, I am watching Deadwind. It is a crime series set in Helsinki, Finland. I completed the first season and I must tell you that it is very interesting.

I have been binge-watching like crazy since the lockdown. I am glad I have stuff to watch from across the world. I like learning new things about other nations through the series and movies that I watch. And when all this madness is over, I hope to travel to all these beautiful nations that I fell in love with through these movies and series.