Genombrottet is a strong, subdued drama series with the qualities we have come to expect from other Swedish series. Cold cases are very intense. You live in uncertainty for years, you have no closure and that does not help the grieving process. And that is also a theme in the four-part Genombrottet (Swedish for The Breakthrough). This Swedish miniseries is based on a true story. One morning, two people are stabbed to death on the street, one of them a child. The police have been in the dark for years and cannot find the perpetrator. After years without a concrete clue, the solution comes in the form of forensic genealogy, a technique in which the perpetrator is traced based on family tree research and DNA from ancestors and relatives. But even then, finding the perpetrator proves not to be easy.
When I watched this series it reminded me a lot of Steeltown Murders. In that series too, a case gets out of the doldrums after many years thanks to new technology. And that series was also based on a true story. Unlike some other recent true crime series, there is no focus on the perpetrator. It doesn't matter who it was. The actions are not glorified and the makers do not try to portray the perpetrator as a misunderstood figure or as someone who was made that way by his environment. The most important thing is that this person is caught so that the relatives can continue to grieve.
Genombrottet focuses on people, not on crime
Genomombrottet uses the qualities that many other Swedish series also have. On the one hand, it sometimes feels a bit cold and distant, but there is also a certain warmth. We see the motivations of police officer John, played by Peter Eggers, very well. He must and will solve this case. He wants to give himself and his relatives closure, even if it burdens his colleagues. Eggers forms a good duo with Mattias Nordkvist, who plays genealogical researcher Per.
This series is short but powerful
Although this family tree research indeed appears to provide a breakthrough, this research is also not easy, and the makers clearly demonstrate this. There too, the frustration among the police and relatives is clearly visible. Fortunately, it never becomes too heavy or too depressing and the makers manage to maintain the balance between light and dark. What helps here is that the series is quite short. With four episodes of approximately 40 minutes, Genombrottet can be easily finished in an afternoon or evening.
Genombrottet is a short but powerful example of Swedish drama. By focusing on the people and not on the crime, this becomes a beautiful and compelling portrait. The story is neatly concluded after four episodes. I would say, let this be an example for other crime series.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
