Hill, S. (2022), ‘Ikeafication: The Bridge and The Rise of Nordic Noir’, Journal of European Popular Culture Volume 13 Number 1, Intellect Books: Bristol 

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Abstract

Superficially The Bridge conforms to Curran and Seaton’s (1981; 2003) view that texts produced outside of the traditional commercial milieu offer more diversity for audiences. And certainly, in the depiction of Saga Norén, in collaboration with Sofia Helin, Hans Rosenfeldt has created a less singular depiction of a female protagonist, drawing upon conventions established by The Killing’s Sarah Lund (DR1 2007 to 2012) and Lisbeth Salander in the  various incarnations of Stieg Larrson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2005, 2009, 2011). While this reinforces David Gauntlett’s ideas about diverse representations in contemporary media text, the way in which The Bridge is consumed by different audiences, across different territories, suggests a nuanced relationship between producer and consumer, and the creation of meanings that are more fluid. In Scandinavia, for example, The Bridge, is seen as a very mainstream proposition, while the demographic of its English speaking audience is arguably much more metropolitan and elite. This article focuses on the perspective of UK nationals and is augmented by interviews with English speaking audience members in a number of overseas territories including: Sweden; UK; The Channel Islands; USA; Canada; and Australia. Building on the work of Stougaard Nielsen (2016), Waade (2016), Creeber (2015) and Alexi (2017), I will explore the way in which audiences identify with Nordic Noir and The Bridge in particular as a way of mediating complex discourses on gender, class, race, disability and the economics of social welfare. It will be suggested that, while the influence of Scandinavian culture on the UK can be framed as an idealistic touristic projection, the appeal of Nordic Noir is more complicated. On the surface, it may seem to embody positional cultural consumption and middle class privilege; however, it is also a barometer of anxiety about dark undercurrents in UK politics at time of change and uncertainty. At the time of writing (2019), Britain has yet to negotiate its future relationship with the European Union following the result of the 2016 Referendum: the ensuing three years having seen a rise of right wing populism in the UK and polarisation over Brexit. Overshadowing this has been the Presidency of Donald Trump in the USA and an ongoing migrant crisis emanating from the war in Syria. As one respondent, invoking Shakespeare’s Hamlet, stated: “There’s something rotten in the state of…” (Shakespeare, 1609) In this context, the enigmatic mores of Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), particularly when extended to include the Nordic region of Finland, Iceland and The Faroe Islands, combined with its ambiguous relationship with the EU, has captured the imagination of UK nationals. In part, this can be attributed to the liminality of the situation: Sweden, Finland and Denmark are part of EU; Iceland and Norway are not. However, it also occupies a place in the imaginative landscape of cultured bourgeois elites in which a longing for a socialist utopia coalesces with the aesthetic grammar of Lars Von Trier and Ingmar Bergman. In this direction Nordic Noir, and The Bridge in particular, offers an opportunity to explore the contradictions and ideological complexity of this brave new world. In concluding, I will argue that, far from being a singular dreamland,  The Bridge is a symbol of both diaspora (Bhaba) and postmodernity (Baudrillard); and that the popularity of Scandinavian Noir with international audiences is concomitant to an awareness that their own worlds are less singular.

 

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