Wallander (TV Series) Försvunnen (2013) User Reviews

Straightforward and suspenseful

[rolandddd · 7/10 · 24 June 2013]

I can totally see the approach the screenwriter Niklas Rockström has taken here. Use details from one of the most notorious recent crime cases in Sweden, the abduction of a 10-year old girl in 2008, and combine it with details from one of the most prominent and famous European crime cases from the last decade (which one would be a spoiler but I'm sure you'll get it when you see the movie).

The mix he comes up with is pretty suspenseful. Looking back at the plot, is has some monumental holes and some details are just too unbelievable to be realistic. The lack of plausibility doesn't strike you when you're watching though, as the pace is pretty high.

Another problem is that the film doesn't dare to show some aspects of child abduction in the movie. The film contains some rather dark and disturbing scenes but cowardly shies away from the obvious sexual dimension, probably in order to set up the totally unrealistic ending of the movie.

If the script is a bit so-so, the acting and directing is pretty solid. Krister Henriksson does a good job as does the regular supporting cast. Guest stars include Gustaf Hammarsten, a familiar face to Swedish cinema-goers, and Liv Mjönes, who has worked with Henriksson before in "Kyss Mig".

Overall this is a pretty decent Wallander movie, by no means one of the best but the pretty decent acting and fast pace keeps it interesting throughout.

Missing

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 29 May 2014]

In the opening scenes we see a father bring his young daughter back to her mother's; as the girl departs for school she hears them bitterly arguing. She then cycles off, getting a sweet from a friendly shop keeper on the way. She cycles along a path then gets off her bike and disappears into the dense undergrowth… the next thing we see is her bike being thrown into a pond. It is Kurt's first day back at work following he is soon on the case. Inevitably suspicion falls on the parents; especially the father who had threatened to take the girl back to his native Chile. As Kurt digs deeper he begins to fear a connection with another case of a missing girl; ten years ago he had failed to catch the person responsible for disappearance of a girl; something her mother was unable to forgive him for but if he is to solve this case he will have to get her help.

Given the subject matter it is fair to say this isn't a jolly story but it is enjoyable with plenty of suspects and some unforeseen twists as well as a couple of genuinely shocking moments. The ultimate resolution is a bit of a surprise and a few years ago I'd have found it unrealistic but a few similar real life cases, which I'm sure inspired this, make it believable. As expected the story is well told and the cast do a fine job. There are a few slightly unlikely moments such as the way finding a pen made Kurt suddenly think of a ten year old case and the fact that Linda gets in real danger again; she must be Sweden's least lucky policewoman! Still one doesn't really think of these things till afterwards so it didn't spoil the story; overall another good episode.

A Bit Disjointed, but It Keeps Our Interest

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 9 December 2015]

A little girl is apparently abducted after leaving her seemingly unpleasant home. She stops for a piece of candy from a friendly grocer and the next thing we see is her bike being thrown into a pond. Kurt Wallander is sensitive to this case because he had unsuccessfully investigated a woman whose daughter had disappeared years before. He went after the mother at the time. The child was never found, but the mother was exonerated. She has lived in seclusion for years, working through evidence she has accumulated. The problem that presents itself is that the missing girl's father is a hothead and he and the mother fight tooth and nail. The key to many of these mysteries is the ability to look outside the box. A female consultant is brought in, having had successes in recovering children, but she is by-the-book and inflexible and so she clashes with Kurt. There are intriguing events and this episode holds our interest very well.