Based on Mattias Edvardsson’s novel, the 2023 Netflix limited series titled A Nearly Normal Family follows Adam and Ulrika Sandell, whose only daughter, Stella Sandell, was arrested for murder. Directed by Per Hanefjord and produced by Jarowskij, the Netflix drama A Nearly Normal Family also follows a similar plot, with some creative liberties taken by the makers. Netflix has recently dropped the official trailer for the limited series, which has already set high expectations in our minds. The trailer looked appealing, and it seems that the series has the potential to attract a lot of viewers, especially the fans of a dark and mysterious thriller.
Story and Plot
A Nearly Normal Family is a six-part limited series that is coming to our screens with a thrilling premise. In the official trailer, we are introduced to the world of the narrative and the key characters in it. The trailer opened with Adam and Stella in a car, where Adam asked his daughter to tell him the truth. It already sets the grim mood of the show. Understandably, something horrible had happened in this family, causing some serious trust issues between them. Throughout the trailer, we see the protagonist of the story, Stella as a tortured soul who is definitely dealing with some serious issues that she is unable to share with her parents. In one of the scenes we saw, Adam came to know that a murder took place in the city, but little did he expect that his daughter might be the person behind it.
In the trailer, we are introduced to Stella’s boyfriend, Christopher Olson, with whom her relationship seems to be quite complicated. It seems likely it was Christopher who was murdered, and Stella was the one to blame, allegedly. Several trial sequences were shown in the trailer, prompting us to expect some gripping courtroom drama as well as suspense from the series. From the trailer, we sensed the mysterious environment as well as understood that this family was hiding some dark, deep secrets connected to this murder case. Even though they were united as a family, no one could properly trust anyone. While Adam and Ulrika struggled to trust their daughter, we also see that neither Adam nor Ulrika were comfortable with each other due to the trust issues between them. A very unusual discomfort is evident throughout the trailer, making it already appealing for a lot of viewers. Overall, The Sandell family seemed to have severe problems, which would be further explored in the upcoming series.
Cast And Characters
The key characters of the limited series were Adam and his wife, Ulrika Sandell, and their one and only child, Stella Sandell.
Adam Sandell (played by Bjorn Bengtsson), the head of the Sandell family, is a pastor. In his early life, he didn’t believe in God, but later he turned to Christianity. He is very protective of his daughter, Stella. After a traumatic incident involving a guy raping Stella, Adam became even more cautious and anxious about his daughter’s safety than before. However, he had no idea what was going to happen next, changing their lives forever.
Adam’s wife, Ulrika Sandell (played by Lo Kauppi), was a lawyer. She was also worried about her daughter and wanted to protect her from any kind of harm, but the dynamic between her and her husband was a little uncomfortable, which indicates that they were not quite open about their feelings, desires, and thoughts. In the upcoming series, we’ll get a vivid picture of the couple’s relationship, which will probably shed light on their past to show why the couple were so distant from each other despite being under the same roof.
Next up, the protagonist of the story, Stella Sandell (played by Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors), is an 18-year-old teenager and a free soul. She likes to have fun and wants to explore her desires. But her journey has brought many unpleasant experiences into her life, including an incident where she was almost sexually assaulted by a guy. After that, she took some time to move on and relish her life again, but soon enough, she met Christopher Olson, who caught her attention. Now it’s remained to be seen how Stella became entangled in the web of mystery regarding Christopher’s murder. Did she really kill him or was she framed? The upcoming series will hopefully answer every question we have in our mind.
Christopher Olson (played by Christian Fandango Sundgren) is one of the pivotal characters of the story. His father was a law professor, probably a powerful and influential man. As we know from the novel, it was Christopher who got killed, and Stella was accused of the murder. However, from the look and feel of the trailer, we get the essence that the series will largely explore the chemistry between Christopher and Stella until Christopher takes his last breath. Let’s see how things unfold in the upcoming Netflix series.
When And Where To Watch
Netflix is all set to release A Nearly Normal Family on November 24th, making the thriller available to a worldwide audience. Fans of gripping thriller drama from any corner of the world may find the series appealing, but for fans of the actual novel, this series is probably going to be an extraordinary experience. The trailer looked very promising, as did the glimpses of the performances by the cast. Comparing this series with other Swedish dramas on Netflix and other OTT platforms, we can say we have already watched The Bridge, which is an enthralling Nordic Noir following intricate plots and societal issues. Besides, we got Quicksand, based on Malin Persoon Giolito’s novel of the same name, which also highlights a young woman on trial for her criminal past. Moreover, we have plenty of other series like Wallander, Entrapped, and many more, and we can assume that A Nearly Normal Family has the potential to make a place in this list of these engaging Nordic thrillers.
Overall, A Nearly Normal Family is an engaging thriller that has the potential to keep the audience glued to the screen. We expect the series will successfully maintain the suspense and continue entertaining us till the very end without unnecessarily dragging the storyline.
