Netflix’s Scandinavian Series Midsummer Night Is One To Watch
One of the best things about Netflix in recent years is the increase in foreign language shows, from mega hits like Squid Game to smaller shows like Burn the House Down and You Do You.
They’re keeping up that streak this year with their new series Midsummer Night, a Scandinavian drama that revolves around a traditional midsummer party, and the relationships and rivalries between friends and family, and we definitely think its worth adding to your watchlist when it arrives today. Here’s what to know.
What is Midsummer Night?
Midsummer Night, before you ask, isn’t an adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous comedy- the Norwegian series takes inspiration from the traditional midsummer (or midsommar) celebration that takes place in June, celebrating the height of the sunniest day of the year. Led by both Norwegian and Swedish actors, the show follows Carina (Pernilla August) and Johannes (Dennis Storhøi), who’ve been married for 30 years, but in the midst of their midsummer party, choose to tell their family and friends their biggest secret that they’ve kept hidden for years. While Netflix has been coy so far with details, the synopsis for the show teases that this secret will have “unforeseen consequences” for everyone, setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to something that no-one had expected.
Netflix didn’t share a trailer for Midsummer Night but dropped one intriguing clip that sets the tone of what to expect. Carina and Johannes are seen watching the arrival by boat of various family and friends to their event, as Carina asks Johannes why he seems to have something against her brother, Håkan. He replies that he likes a lot about him, except for the fact that he consistently dates women “who could have been in kindergarten with our daughter.” Despite this suspicion, he promises he’ll take the high road, before asking “You sure we should tell them today?”, to which Carina replies “Yes- at lunch, when everyone is together”, as the clip ends. Very little to go on, but Netflix has said that the series promises to tell a “warm, emotional and funny story” that everyone can relate to.
Who else stars, and is there a release date?
Norwegian creator Per-Olav Sørensen commented in a press release that the series explores the complex relationships within a large family, and that the drama comes from “those large feelings, those big revelations and those deep conversations, when nothing goes as planned.” Midsummer Night is also set to star Amalia Holm, Sofia Tjelta, Linn Skåber, Kim Falck, Christopher Wollter and Fanny Klefelt. The limited series arrives on Netflix today, and you can watch the teaser clip below.
