Movie Review: Drama in reel life!

Quicksand (web series, Netflix)
Starring: Hanna Ardéhn, Felix Sandman, William Spetz, Ella Rappich
Directed: Per-Olav Sørensen and Lisa Farzaneh

Shootings though gruesome make for some of the best court cases to watch. And for Netflix’s Quicksand, this saying stands quite true. Based on the novel of the same name by Malin Persson Giolito, this Swedish series is a gripping court case of Maja Norberg vs The Prosecutors of Sweden. 18-year-old Maja aka Maria Norberg who is one of the central characters of the series is arrested from her school — Djursholms Senior High School, for her part in a deadly shooting that happened there. It’s quite difficult to understand from the start whether Maja actually committed the crime or not as she maintains that she murdered her boyfriend but had not committed the crime.

The story begins with her arrest and shifts back and forth from the past and the present.  The series focuses more on why the crime was committed rather than whether it was committed. The makers do an excellent job conducting the investigation, from Maja’s interrogation to the hiring actors to replay the entire crime scene.

Maja’s entire life changes when she meets Sebastian Fagerman. A clichéd spoilt rich kid whose father is the wealthiest man in Sweden. The love that these teens share will make us reminisce about our first love. But very quickly their love and the relationship they share becomes toxic. It’s quite clear that Sebastain has major daddy issues. And to get over this he parties, drinks and does drugs way too much. He faces abuse and abandonment by his dad which creates the monster in him. Sebastian wants Maja all to himself therefore he isolates her from her friends  — Amanda Steen and Samir Said.

The toxic relationship is what causes their downfalls. While sometimes you might sympathise with Sebastian’s situation, other times he just tends to get on your nerves.

The only downer for this series is that Maja is shown as very weak character. One that follows the footsteps of her boyfriend. What he says goes and she has no say in it. It’s like she has no spine. It’s only through the course of her stay in prison and the court case, we see Maja voicing out her opinions.

The emotionless Maja from the first episode transforms into a fearless woman who is unfraid to admit that though she has killed her boyfriend, she is not entirely at fault. Quicksand is a series that is entirely focused on the two mains. Maja’s friends play very small roles in the series. A better character profile for both Samir and Amanda would have made the series more wholesome. Season 1 ends with her release, and Netflix is yet to confirm whether there will be a second season.