This new thriller from the Walter Presents stable was shot a year before Covid. That in itself is quite extraordinary, because it’s the tale of a new deadly virus that is easily transmitted between humans that wreaks havoc on a community. Sound horribly familiar, doesn’t it? There are so many parallels between this fictitious tale and what we all had to go through during the pandemic – it’s all eerily familiar.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
The storyline in ‘Sløborn’ (originally known as Ankunft) follows the interwoven journeys of various individuals, each linked by their connection to the small island in the North Sea. We meet Nikolai Wagner (Alexander Scheer), an author who is invited to the island by a superfan and bookstore owner. Wagner is struggling with a looming deadline for his second novel, following the unexpected success of his debut. He has an abrasive nature, not helped by a drug addiction, and is obnoxious to his host and her family from the get-go.
Evelin Kern (Emily Kusche) is a schoolgirl who has returned to the island after a school trip. She’s feeling unwell, but is reluctant to elaborate about her symptoms to her veterinarian father or her indifferent mother. Her worst fears are confirmed when she takes a pregnancy test.
Magnus and Jan Fisker (Roland Møller and Mads Hjulmand) are brothers, but are at loggerheads over an inherited property. Jan is the local drug-dealer who frequently hosts outrageous drunken parties in the house; whereas Magnus has only just returned to the island to claim his part of the inheritance and to convince his brother to change his way of life – something that doesn’t go down well with Jan.
We also witness a seemingly abandoned sailing boat – Rachel II – floating around the sea. It runs into a small shipping boat, before washing up on the beach. Revellers from one of the Fisker parties discover the vessel and its grim contents. And it’s that discovery that will have serious implications for the inhabitants of the island in subsequent episodes.
As with all productions with a multitude of characters and various storylines going on, the opening episode (there are eight in total) is mainly a getting-to-know-you affair to embed the cast and make them familiar. But it’s obviously from the start that the acting and the direction is of the highest quality; this looks likely to be a slow burner as we learn more and more about the disease, how it affects the islanders, and how they cope with the isolation enforced to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread any further.
Some people will shy away from watching a series so close to the horrific few years we’ve suffered globally; but if you can get over that and enjoy this series for what it is – a superbly crafted thriller with some very fine acting performances – you will reap the rewards.
This is a bit of a departure for Walter Presents. But a bit of diversity is always a good thing when it’s as good as this. I notice that there is a second season, too.
Definitely one to watch.
Walter Presents: ‘Sløborn’ is available as a full boxset now on C4 Streaming.
