Investigating Nordic Noir By Sofia Alexi A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Victoria University of Wellington 2017 3 Abstract Alexi Sofia, Film Studies, Victoria University of Wellington Abstract of Master’s Thesis, Submitted 10 April 2017: “Investigating Nordic noir” Scandinavian crime films and television series have become popular in recent years. This thesis explores some of the key texts in ‘Nordic noir’ through a discussion of detectives, the environment, and visual style. The emphasis in the project is on textual analysis. The first chapter examines the figures of Wallander and Lund in Wallander and Forbrydelsen respectively. I argue that the conflicts Nordic detectives often have between work and the domestic sphere are an indication of how gender stereotypes are challenged in the Scandinavian crime genre. The second chapter considers the role of the natural and built environments in Nordic noir. Features such as forests and water play a crucial role in Forbrydelsen because of the ways in which they create uncertainty, anticipation, and suspense. The urban spaces of Bron/Broen develop a sense of anonymity that recalls the function of the city in classic film noir. Rather than developing links between Sweden and Denmark, the series suggests that the Øresund bridge that spans the two countries is ultimately a disconnecting, centrifugal force that functions as what Marc Augé would call a ‘non-place’. The final chapter considers the role of colour and light in the films Insomnia and Jar City. My analysis demonstrates that Nordic noir encompasses more than naturalism and realism. Like classic and neo-noir, it includes a range of expressive aesthetic strategies that serve both narrative and thematic functions. 4 5 Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 3 Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. 5 Notes on the Text ............................................................................................................... 6 Abbreviations of references ............................................................................................. 7 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. 9 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter One .................................................................................................................... 21 The Nordic Detective ............................................................................................ 21 Truth Hurts: Lund as the Northern Female Detective .......................................... 23 Home Sweet Home: Kurt Wallander as the Nordic Male Detective .................... 33 Chapter Two .................................................................................................................... 47 Natural and Built Environments in Nordic Noir ................................................... 47 But First She Had to Learn How to Float: Natural Spaces in Forbrydelsen ........ 50 Non-Places in Bron/Broen .................................................................................... 57 Chapter Three ................................................................................................................. 69 Evil Whiteness and Macabre Colour: Aesthetics in Insomnia and Jar City ......... 69 White Ambiguity in Insomnia .............................................................................. 72 The Colours of Jar City ........................................................................................ 83 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 95 Works Cited ................................................................................................................... 101 Filmography .................................................................................................................. 111 6 Notes on the Text Because “noir” has become Anglicised, this thesis does not italicise this French term, unless quoted from another author. When referring to noir, this thesis uses the letter case “n”, including for the alliteration “Nordic noir”. All case studies are referred to in their original language. For example, Forbrydelsen refers to the Danish original television show whereas The Killing refers to the American re-make. For any other European films and television series, the original titles will be followed by a translation. For example: Mördare utan Ansikte (Berglund 1995) [Faceless Killers]. The referencing style of this thesis generally follows MLA style. However, in order to differentiate between different texts by the same author, and due to the length of some of the titles, a number of books and articles have been abbreviated. The list below clarifies which titles the abbreviations refer to. Full reference details are available in the list of works cited. 7 Abbreviations of References Books and Book section (SF) Andrew K. Nestingen and Paula Arvas. Scandinavian Crime Fiction (CF) Andrew K. Nestingen. Crime and Fantasy in Scandinavia: Fiction, Film, and Social Change (FS) Daniel Brodén. Folkhemmets Skuggbilder (WP) Eva Novrup Redvall. Writing and Producing Television Drama in Denmark: From The Kingdom to The Killing (SK) Michael Tapper. Snuten i Skymningslandet: Svenska Polisberättelser i Roman och Film (SC) Michael Tapper. Swedish Cops: From Sjöwall and Wahlöö to Stieg Larsson (CN) Norðfjörð, Björn Ægir. “Crime up North: The Case of Norway, Finland and Iceland.” From the book: Nordic Genre Film (DG) Philippa Gates. Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film (FT) Steven Peacock. Swedish Crime Fiction: Novel, Film, Television Journals (“Dark”) Daniel Brodén. “The dark ambivalences of the welfare state: Investigating the transformations of the Swedish crime film” (“Dogmas”) Eva Novrup Redvall. “‘Dogmas’ for television drama: The ideas of ‘one vision’, ‘double storytelling’, ‘crossover’ and ‘producer’s choice’ in drama series from the Danish public service broadcaster DR” (“Identity”) Gunhild Agger. “Nordic Noir – Location, Identity and Emotion” (“Approaches”) Gunhild Agger. “Approaches to Scandinavian Crime Fiction” (“Thriller”) Gunhild Agger. “Thrillerns Kunst: Forbrydelsen I-III” 8 (“Emotion”) Gunhild Agger. “Emotion, gender and genre: Investigating The Killing” (“Kropp”) Michael Tapper. “Hans Kropp - samhället självt. Manliga svenska mordspanare på ålderns höst Kommissarie Jensen, Martin Beck, Kurt Wallander och Van Veeteren” (“Dystopia”) Michael Tapper. “More than ABBA and skinny-dipping in mountain lakes’: Swedish dystopia, Henning Mankell and the British Wallander series” (“Icelandic”) Norðfjörð, Björn Ægir. “‘A typical Icelandic murder?’ The ‘criminal’ adaptation of Jar City” (“Serial”) Philippa Gates. “Manhunting: The Female Detective in the serial killer film” (“Melodrama”) Philippa Gates. “The Maritorious Melodrama. Film Noir with a Female Detective” (“Challenging”) Pia MajBritt Jensen and Anne Marit Waade. “Nordic Noir challenging ‘the language of advantage’: Setting, light and language as production values in Danish television series” (“Nordic Noir”) Anne Marit Waade and Pia MajBritt Jensen. “Nordic Noir Production values – The Killing and The Bridge” (“Isolation”) Steven Peacock. “The Impossibility of Isolation in Wallander” 9 Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors Dr Tim Groves of the Film School at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and Professor Kirsten Moana Thompson of the Film School at Seattle University, the United States for their comments, remarks and insights during the process of writing this thesis. Their doors were always open for me, and any questions I had during the development of this thesis. They always encouraged me to find my voice in my work. My extended thanks go to Dr Miriam Ross and Dr Alfio Leotta for their consistent encouragement throughout my studies at Victoria University of Wellington. My deep appreciation goes to Mark and Helen Lewis for their continuous support and for making this project possible. I dedicate this thesis to Daniel. 10 11 Introduction This thesis aims to observe and analyse some of the major trends in Nordic noir. It uses a textual analysis approach of selected works because of the constitutively “aural and visual rhetoric” of noir cycles (Neale 157). The project focuses on three core components of Nordic noir: the Nordic detective in relation to gender, the representation of location specific environments, and the visual style of Nordic noir. These elements are found in most, if not all, Nordic noir films and television series. Each case study is designed to examine and illustrate the Scandinavian characteristics or reinterpretations of noir. Unlike other genres, film noir did not emerge from industry conditions and practices. Rather, the discourse of film noir developed through film criticism beginning in France after World War II. Steve Neale explains that the term “film noir” did not emerge through any systematic empirical analysis. Instead, it was applied retroactively in 1946 by French film critic Nino Frank and referred to