In February, it was clear that the Swedish Netflix series “In Dina Händer” (English title “Deliver Me”) would premiere in the spring. The series deals with social vulnerability, poverty and gang violence and is based on Malin Persson Giolito’s book of the same name. Netflix has described the series with the words “a poignant portrait of the power of childhood friendship, and a devastating depiction of what happens when society fails to protect those who need it most.”
The series begins dramatically with the death of a 14-year-old boy. The killing shot is fired by the boy’s best friend. The plot and underlying purpose of the series is described as follows, in a press release from Netflix:
“Snow falls softly over a desolate pool area. A fourteen-year-old boy lies face down in front of a swing, his life draining from him through a gaping wound in his head. Behind him stands his best friend with a smoking gun in his hand.“
“When children commit terrible crimes, who is responsible? And what does it do to all of us when we allow ourselves to regard children as monsters? At the center of this heartbreaking story are the lost children; those whom society fails to catch before they fall, whether as a result of negligence, poverty or social vulnerability. The single mothers, the owner of the grocery store in the square, the local police – no one is spared in a society where escalating violence takes over.”
Last year, Kingsize did an interview with Ardalan where he told how he saw the series:
– It was very enjoyable work, even if it was very heavy, because we are dealing with very dark subjects. Which are highly current. I’m trying to find a way to tell this story through this shift in empathy that has happened in society when talking about certain bodies. And to somehow remind our audience, the Swedish people, that it is actual children and flesh and blood people who are exposed to this. And that the responsibility lies in everyone’s hands. Hence the title “In your hands”. How can we together build a society that works and not point the finger with our dirty hands?
Empathy displacement was a good word. Accountability is another, which I can feel is a big problem with everything happening in society today.
– It’s easy to throw away! Because I think people are fed up with a lot of things. We get so much information that we get caught off guard and it’s easier to throw off responsibility than dive into it. But I think that is what is required, that we come to a place where we admit our own shortcomings. As society. And from there take it further and see what we can do? What has changed? Actually? If you look at political decisions that are made of various kinds, you can see quite quickly that a lot has changed, not only in people shooting each other, but also in what decisions are made. In welfare, for example.
It feels in advance like a more focused and less dramatized version of “Fast Cash”?
– The difference between “Fast Cash” and this one is that in “Fast Cash” we see the problems overall. While here we dive into it. We zoom in on one of these lives and destinies. The domino effect it has, I would say.
Newcomers Yasir Hassan and Olle Strand play the lead roles as the 14-year-old best friends Billy and Dogge. Yusra Warsama plays Billy’s mother Leila and Ane Dahl Torp and Henrik Norlén play Dogge’s parents Jill and Teo. Other leading roles include Ardalan Esmaili as the local policeman Farid, Mahmut Suvakci as Sudden, Solomon Njie as Mehdi and Abdirahman Mohamed as Tusse, Billy’s younger brother.
Watch trailer below and all episodes via Netflix starting today.
Photo: Martin Wichardt
