Robert A. Saunders

Listen to a podcast on interplay between popular culture and the ’real’ world.

The mobile phone, and more specifically the ‘smart’ phone, has emerged as a key visual, dramaturgical and narrative element of Nordic noir television over the past decade. The smart phone represents an integral part of the crime-solving toolkit, whether its user is an obsessive police officer, a nosy reporter, a witness or a (potential) victim.

Cracks work on multiple levels when screened in Nordic noir television series and are never incidental. Visually, the crack draws the viewer in, providing a space of darkness and potential danger. Metaphorically, it can symbolise a large suite of problems, including the disintegration of the welfare state.