The first virtue of A sailor at war (Netflix) is its length: three chapters of 50 minutes each. It was later learned that it was actually a two-and-a-half-hour feature film that the Norwegian government wanted to use to compete for the Oscar for best foreign film. That couldn’t be and was turned into a short series. platform capabilities.
The second virtue of this interesting Norwegian series is that it adds another factor to war films: the sadness of those involved in the Second World War without eating or drinking it, a sadness that the characters and the environment in which they find themselves are flooded .unpack. heroism is absent and depression is present; and all thanks to the talent of its director and screenwriter Gunnar Vikene, who distances himself from any mystifying view of war, something rare in audiovisual culture so accustomed to the glorification of mass murder that is considered one of the fine arts of patriotism .
Alfred and Sigbjørn, two childhood friends, embark on a merchant ship bound for New York. Alfred’s wife and three children remain in Bergen. Sunk by a German U-boat, they begin a long struggle for survival that Sigbjørn will achieve long before his friend. Back in Bergen and convinced that his friend has died, he will try to adapt to the new situation, accompanied by Cecilia, Alfred’s wife. A letter giving news of Alfred’s life will shake the restored domestic order. Two friends, a wife, a bloody war and the talent of its creator make for a remarkable anti-war series.
You can follow EL PAÍS TELEVISIÓN on Twitter or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
Receive the TV newsletter
All the news from channels and platforms, with interviews, news and analysis, as well as recommendations and criticism from our journalists
REGISTRATION
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits