''The Valhalla Murders'' ( is, Brot, literally "violation") is an eight-episode police procedural television series produced in
Iceland, originally airing there in 2019, then released worldwide in 2020 on
Netflix and airing for free on
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 in the UK.
This is the second Icelandic series to be featured on Netflix,
''Trapped'' (''Ófærð)'' being the first. The plot is loosely based on a real-life incident. As described in an article on the website MEAWW, "In the late 1940s, an almost similar event took place in remote Iceland. A state-run institution ... housed troubled, young boys, aged between seven and 14, where they were beaten and abused by the staff. Although in reality there was no murder, per se, as shown in the series, it caused quite a noise and the boys were eventually compensated in monetary terms."
Cast
*
Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir as Kata
*
Björn Thors
Björn Thors (born 12 January 1978) is an Icelandic actor. He is known for his role as Kenneth Máni in ''Fangavaktin'', Hugo Estevez in '' Sjáumst með Silvíu Nótt'' and Darri in '' Katla''.
Personal life
Björn is married to actress Unnur ...
as Arnar
*
Sigurður Skúlason Sigurður () or Sigurdur may refer to:
*Sigurður Bragason (born 1954), Icelandic baritone
*Sigurður Breiðfjörð (1798–1846), Icelandic poet
*Sigurður Eggerz (1875–1945), Prime Minister of Iceland from 1914 to 1915 and from 1922 to 1924
*Si ...
as Magnus
*
Bergur Ebbi Benediktsson as Erlingur
*
Tinna Hrafnsdóttir
Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (born 25 August 1975) is an Icelandic actor, film director and screenwriter.
Filmography
; Actor
* ''The Quiet Storm'' (2007)
* ''Double Existence'' (2011) – short
* ''Footsteps'' (2017) – short
; Dire ...
as Helga
*
Edda Björgvinsdóttir as Svava
*
Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir as Hugrún
*
Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir as Selma
*
Aldís Amah Hamilton
Aldís Amah Hamilton (born 6 April 1991) is an Icelandic actress. She graduated from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2016 and the same year, she appeared as Desdemona in the Vesturport's performance of ''Othello'' in the National Theatre ...
as Dísa
Episodes
Reception
The series received mixed reviews. Writing in ''
The Sydney Morning Herald'', Brad Newsome says: "Gutsy performances and judicious rationing of the scenery make for terrific viewing." However, Euan Ferguson of ''
The Guardian'' writes: "Even halfway through it hasn’t quite got going: despite the dramatic backdrops, and a few stalwart performances, the word is glacial." Writing in ''
The List'', Brian Donaldson concludes his review: "''The Valhalla Murders'' is certainly distracting enough, but while it aims to send chills straight down your bones, this Icelandic drama is ultimately a lukewarm bowl of kjotsupa."
See also
*
Nordic noir
References
External links
*
*
RUV (Icelandic)RUV (English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valhalla Murders, The
2019 Icelandic television series debuts
Icelandic drama television series