TV

Stockholm Syndrome: Like hostages we too will be captivated by the charm of "Clark"

The story of the Swedish criminal responsible for what became known as "Stockholm Syndrome" won a wild, parody and extreme series on Netflix.

One that allows him to be a kind of superhero in a dizzying crime comedy with wide touches of comic books

David Rosenthal

24/05/2022

Tuesday, 24 May 2022, 00:00 Updated: 00:24

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Trailer for the "Clark" series (Netflix)

The glorification of the criminal is a phenomenon that has existed since the dawn of history, but in the 1960s there was a significant increase in the glorification of top criminals.

The combination of the left-wing counter-cultures that arose and the technological breakthrough that turned the world into a global village, created a distorted cocktail in which dangerous criminals became pop heroes.

The most prominent movement in Europe was the Red Army ("Bader-Meinhof" gang), which created waves of admiration in Germany in the late 1960s thanks to the charisma of Andreas Bader and Godron Anslin, enthusiastic young people who led many others to join their murderous acts of terror "in the name of revolution."

At the same time, in those years a small criminal named Clark Olopson was active in Sweden.

Unlike Bader-Meinhof he was not a pseudo-ideologue, but just a criminal who grew up in a harsh environment and was nurtured to be a filthy criminal.

He was imprisoned and fled many times and in 1973, while hanging out between bars, was called from the prison directly to a bank branch in central Stockholm, at the request of his longtime cell partner, bank robber Eric Olson.

The two were fortified in a safe along with four hostages.

The rescue attempts lasted five days.

On Friday, when the operation began to show signs of success, it became clear that the prisoners, and especially a young woman named Kristin Anmark, were in no hurry to cooperate with the police.

The phenomenon was later called "Stockholm Syndrome" and served as a broad basis for metaphor in various social areas.

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From the materials that make up a large figure from life.

Bill Skarsgård, "Clark" (Photo: Eric Broms / Netflix)

When one examines the personality and appearance of the brilliant and handsome Olopson, it is easy to understand why magic went on those around him.

He was a sociopath and a narcissist who knew how to always get what he wanted, one that was made from the ingredients that make up a great figure from life.

On the other hand, he is entirely Swedish, and Swedish criminals produce less echoes from American or British criminals and also sit in more comfortable cells.

Despite the psychological phenomenon on which he engraved his name, his character remained mythological only within the confines of the Nordic country.

Also "Clark", a six-episode series that aired on Netflix directed by Jonas Ackerlund, speaks Swedish, but this time it's a different Swedish - wild, parody, extreme.

Here Clark Olofson, played by Bill Skarsgård, is a kind of superhero.

He has almost no choice but to be like that, because Ackerlund has created for him the perfect setting - a dizzying crime comedy with wide touches of comic book movies.

As a non-comic book fan, it was not easy for me to get into Clark.

For the first few minutes it looks like Two Match, and I guess it's really Two Match for many, but if you make it to the opening you fall in love pretty quickly (Stockholm Syndrome or not Stockholm Syndrome?).

After all, what do we need more than anarchist directing, bright colors, outrageous seventies costumes, blatant and crunchy nudity and a huge lead star acting?

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Sails with the magic to the fun districts.

Isabel Grill, "Clark" (Photo: Eric Broms / Netflix)

It was hard to expect MacArlund, one of the great music video directors who starred on MTV in the '80s and' 90s, to obey conventions.

He could have done something wikipedia and dry like the movie "The Bader Meinhof Gang," which is overrated because it just sticks to the historical narrative, or go in the airy and striped direction of "The Snake" about serial killer Charles Subrage.

Instead, he chose to do things wildly, as he knows.

Really, as only he knows, because no one else has any idea according to what patterns he works, but the stew he cooked here succeeded, also thanks to the successful sous-chef he chose.

Bill Skarsgård, another descendant of the esteemed father Stalan Skarsgård (four of his six descendants are actors, Alexander is the best known of them), burst into consciousness when he played Pennywise in a remake of "It" in 2017.

His convictions wear in Clark a different face, literally.

Apparently he enjoys portraying Olopson, with the look that ranges from cunning to goofy, the bastard look and also the smile from ear to ear that indicates that something is about to happen to his enemies but also to his lovers.

Skarsgård manages to convey the character perfectly.

I do not know if he is in love with himself in reality, but in "Clark" it is certainly evident that he is.

In one scene he is even disguised as a clown, which raises the feeling that Ackerlund sought to pay homage to a character thanks to whom he also became famous outside of his homeland.

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Tom and Jerry games.

Tommy Lindstrom, "Clark" (Photo: Eric Broms / Netflix)

As for Stockholm Syndrome, one can err and think that the main purpose of "Clark" is to mark the same phenomenon and caress an environment throughout the series.

she does not.

In fact, if you had not watched the promos or read this review before watching, you would not have noticed it at all.

Ackerlund's message was much more superficial - all the director wanted to do was take an unfounded character and refute it even more.

He does not stick to the facts and is even proud of it, with each chapter opening with the caption "Based on Truths and Lies".

The outer shell does tell the story, but inside it pours its own alternative interpretation.

It works.

Each six-episode series creates an excellent starting point for binge watching, but not all of them manage to draw in viewers.

Thanks to the unconventional directing, the acting of Skarsgård and supporting actors (especially Wilhelm Bloomgren as Tommy Lindstrom, the cop with whom Clark plays "Tom and Jerry") and the charm of actresses Hannah Bjorn (Maria) and Isabel Grill (Mado), "Clark" sails into the fun districts .

If you are afraid of seasickness stay on the beach.

If you have no problem getting carried away, hurry up and get on board.

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• Stockholm Syndrome

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