I was looking forward to this series with a certain amount of expectation. Knowing many of the films by Vinterberg, I felt quite confident about what to expect in terms of craftsmanship. Also the cast, with strong forces like Thomas Bo Larsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Esben Smed, Paprika Steen, and David Dencik would normally be seen as adequate guarantees of great performances.
I like the idea behind the plot but the way the story has unfolded so far is with some lenghts from the standards I had hoped for. The plot seems stuck in a moment of a catastrophe that you simply do not buy. All the streets of inner Copenhagen and those of the suburbs are completely passable, yet the country is closing down! Copenhagen btw is situated only a few meters above sea level. The story clings on to a narrative of disastrous sea levels that you need to understand but never get to see the consequences of. And then the characters... No one in particular deliver on the scale you could expect, perhaps with the exception of Dencik, who as usual portrays with a grit and with emotions on the outside. And what's more astute is that hardly any of the characters come out as sympathetic, which makes it hard to be engaged in how they will manage. Some scenes clearly ask for retakes and the whole story is so far burdened by no variation in tension. Too much of the story is put on young shoulders, who don't own the expertise of acting. The production costs may limit what you are able to realise, but why then use the few locations you dispose of to try and sell something it won't stand a chance to materialise as? It's quite obviously a story that takes place and progress via the dialogues and thus more suitable for something for the stage - that is if you cut down the length 'cause right now, three episodes into a 7 episodes' series, this has come like 20 minutes into a 2 hour long film. I hope that I'm mistaken concerning my current expectations as to what will occur in the four remaining chapters, but fact is, I'm already bored. Which means: I longer have much hope for this, and my current state has actually only put me pondering whether it'll be worth following the next chapter... I still hope for more but for the moment this is touching on a disappointing affair.
