Journal of European Popular Culture - Volume 13, Issue 1, 2022

This article explores how international audiences identify with Nordic noir, and The Bridge in particular, as a way of mediating complex identity discourses and the economics of social welfare. It will be suggested that, while the influence of Scandinavian culture on the United Kingdom 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 a time of change and uncertainty. At the beginning of the time of writing (2020), Britain had yet to negotiate its future relationship with the European Union following the result of the 2016 Referendum: the intervening four years having seen a rise of right-wing populism in the United Kingdom and polarization over Brexit. Overshadowing this had been the presidency of Donald Trump in the United States 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…’. Building on the work of Creeber, Robbins Nielsen, Waade, and Alexi, it will be argued that, far from being a unique 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.

In this interview, I discuss with French director Olivier Lallart his film PD (or, in English, Fag) (2019). PD focuses on the sometimes-toxic-and-sometimes-romantic relationship between Thomas (Paul Gomérieux) and his schoolmate Esteban (Jacques Lepesqueur); and it offers thoughtful exploration of the language with which we describe same-sex love. The film has had a resoundingly successful second life on YouTube. Since its premiere, this 35-minute film has had more than 3.7 million views and it has been subtitled in over a dozen languages. In what follows, we discuss the film’s production – exploring issues ranging from casting to shooting, and from production costs to reception – and, more significantly, Lallart’s social commentary by means of Thomas’ and Esteban’s story. This interview advances scholarship both by attending to this film’s remarkably successful second life and by advocating for more critical attention to be directed to our use of language.

Review of: Céline Sciamma: Portraits, Emma Wilson (2021)

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 137 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47442-548-3, p/bk, £14.99

ISBN 978-1-47444-591-7, PDF, free