Crime without bloody, violent scenes, no sex and nakedness, no peculiar effects, no pursuits and a forward action, but showing a laborious investigative work, human relationships and a technological thread.
This is the excellent Swedish miniseries "The Breakthrough", which appeared on a large streaming platform amazing me very positively. We are moving to the Swedish town of Linköping, where in 2004 there was a horrific crime – a double execution in broad daylight. Victims were a small, 8-year-old immigrant boy and a 56-year-old female teacher. The execution occurred in a housing property and even though there was a witness at the scene – the female in the neighbourhood was incapable to capture or even identify the perpetrator.
The case begins with Detective John – in this function the hypnotizing Peter Eggers. It turns out very rapidly that due to the impossibility of the witness being able to identify the perpetrator of the murder, the investigation is at a dead end. Police were able to safe the genetic material of the perpetrator and find his approximate age. Thus, law enforcement decides to take DNA samples of as many young men in the city as possible, and this is where the full storyline truly comes in.
Relax, I'm not telling you anything else that's in the show's description, so I won't spoil the pleasance of watching. Interestingly, the series is based on FACTS, so you will find no problem online a description of the case along with its solution. The game “The Breakthrough” is hinted around this double murder, but besides contains fictional elements to give stories a more movie character. The image analyses the impact of this unexplained crime on the community and the trial that led to the breakthrough in the investigation.
The case of violent execution was led by Detective John for 16 years without effect, until the title breakthrough, which was due to the advancement of discipline in genealogy and DNA research. The manager of the series is Lisa Siwe, and the script based on the book by Anna Bodin and Peter Sjolund was written by Oskar Soderlund.
These creators have achieved an incredible effect, which turns out to be a surprise for critics besides – based only on ATMOSFHERA, human relationships and the display of a hard work of a police officer, they have made viewers not only curiously watch production (now 1 of the most popular crime positions on the platform), but besides highly appreciated!
As I wrote in the introduction – no fireworks! All based on the hard and many years of unsuccessful work of the main character, whose handling of the case ruins privately and professionally.
The creators perfectly showed the relation – not only of Detective John with colleagues and family, but besides of those in the community of the city. We only get 4 episodes after about 40 minutes, but in each of them we feel the overwhelming weight of the case that destroys the heroes. 16 years of full infirmity of law enforcement are besides 16 years of the lives of residents in the city with the awareness that THE MURDERER IS THERE. Peter Eggers played fantastic and from episode to episode we see this case overwhelming him, and yet the detective does not give up.
A breakthrough occurs erstwhile Detective John encounters a genealogie survey that has led to years of solving another case in the US. The scientist, whose phenomenally played Mattias Nordkvist deals with DNA research, which is usually utilized to find the identity of parents or discover household trees. Per, due to the fact that that's what the genealogist's name is, he's frustrated that his work is so prosaic, so he's very happy to aid the investigation. This way we get an extraordinary confrontation of strong characters.
Time and procedures are fought. On the 1 hand, the state wants to drop the case due to the fact that it lasts 16 years, generates costs and absorbs an experienced police officer. On the another hand, erstwhile the genealogue Per appears, it turns out that his innovative method of work is contrary to Swedish law. Reason?
Well, 1 is the DNA material that the police and the scientist have, and the another is individual DATA, which is needed as a complement to identifying the identity. Europe is very afraid about limiting access to individual data and there is nothing incorrect with that, due to the fact that at a time erstwhile corporations become more powerful than national states, our data is worth more than money.
The case of the double execution in Linköping was a European precedent. In this case, for the first time on the old continent, a murderer was found on the basis of genealogical research, which required not only DNA samples from respective 100 people, but besides the bending of individual data protection laws.
Policeman John and genealog Per gotta act highly cautiously since the breakthrough, as the case was again curious in public opinion represented by the nosy and sensationalist writer Stina. In this role, the perfect Julia Sporre, who played so well that erstwhile she appeared, I felt like saying out loud, “What a mean hyena!”
And that's how we get an different series, whose main driving force becomes 3 very expressive characters – Detective John, the genealogist Per and writer Stina, but that's not all.
For me, the breathtaking communicative is the relation between Detective John and the families of the victims. Imagine – a small, peaceful city where a terrible crime occurs. Not only a female dies who leaves her single husband, but besides an 8-year-old boy – a boy and a brother! Although we do not see the very crime that occurs on the lawn in front of the flat block, we receive a immense emotional charge in the form of showing TRAUMA, which the household experiences after losing. The creators do this brilliantly due to the fact that they give us small details of the everyday life, which show the immensity of despair after losing a kid and a wife.
This burden is felt by John, who, being aware of the police's blamache for 16 years, lives in the city and is part of his community! The atmosphere of the series becomes highly dense, even though the creators have given us an image so sparing in means of expression, even minimalist. There are no spectacular actions here, there is no proverbial FIGHT FOR THE large CASE so characteristic of American production, but – there is not even a large secret, but the identity of the perpetrator, which is determined by investigation and a amazing feature solution from the last episode.
By the way, I wonder if it besides happened truly (I'm not betraying anything more)?
But we have an extraordinary intellectual survey of the trauma caused by crime and the powerlessness of law enforcement. We besides have a circumstantial problem with the borderline of law and ethics – can the police operate circumstantial data of hundreds of citizens if this would aid find the perpetrator of the crime? Of course, law enforcement authorities always have access to data when, for example, individual is suspected or active with a case even indirectly. But this is about unlimited access to data that connects to genetic material!
In specified cases, should we adopt the rule that the end justifies the means? What do you think? Personally, however, I am inclined to let law enforcement authorities to usage modern methods without hindrance, even at the expense of citizens' privacy, although I am aware of the abuse that this could lead to...
Summing up the mini-series "The Breakthrough" is available on the NETFLIX platform, which, to put it mildly, does not have a very good reputation among our Readers and let's make an agreement – has repeatedly earned this deficiency of sympathy. Nevertheless, this production is simply a very affirmative surprise and I urge it to all lovers of the genre!
The Swedes reminded us that good crime must be based on an engaging communicative and does not require spectacular means of expression. I encourage you to watch "The Breakthrough", I did it on 2 nights with baking on my face.
Bartosz Iwicki
photo netflix
Think Poland, No. 31-32 (3-10.08.201025)
