QUICKSAND

                           Quicksand: Simple, Precise and Elegant

 
After a tragedy at a Stockholm prep school, high school student Maja finds herself on trial for murder; based on the best-selling novel.
The Netflix adaptation of this novel is everything the novel was and much more. The thought put into making the series bellies the consideration put into representing the thoughts of the author on screen. One thing that definitely made this show worth the watch is the simplicity with which the story was told, the nonchalance with which the idea was presented, and the absolute elegance with which the script was exhibited by a perfectionist producer and talented character cast.
That being said, the plot and the concept of the show are basically the same. A high school murder, the aftermath, and the story behind the crime. This sort of concept is always dicey when being adapted into a tv series, for fear that it may border on cliché, and most often than not, ends up being another deadrubber show replete with a lot of repetition and over flogging of a theme.

That is where the show is able to really thrill viewers. Everyone who would have picked this show to watch would probably have done that with the intention to see the hectic legal battle that will transpire in the aftermath of the crime, but that was totally different from what the show runners had in mind and presented. The show focused more on the causative elements that led to the crime rather than the blow out of the crime. Netflix embarked on a journey of discovery, and much like you have with the hugely successful Big Little Lies, Netflix was able to keep audience guessing and invested in the show for all 6 episodes, and that in itself is a huge achievement.
  So storytelling was astonishing, alternating between the present and the past meant that viewers never really got the full picture of events until the very last episode, I don't see how better to capture and retain the attention of viewers than this and as such it's a big A+ for storytelling. 

The casting for the show was fantastically done. Each of the characters were able represented by the cast. The fluidity of conversation, dialogue mastery and emotional diversity are just top notch, baring the fact that they are Swedish and not mainstream, but they were good all the same.
The conflict for the show is simple and it's resolution is even yet more simple. What then is so impressive about the show you may wonder; that lies in the simplicity of everything. There is beauty in simplicity and this show aptly captures that saying. The conflict resolution didn't need a whole lot of technicalities as the story already ensured that there won't be a need for that. It was simply resolved based on the requirements of the law, no unnecessary court room drama, and even the unlearned would find the verdict quite easy to comprehend. 

In a nutshell, this show is not one that will make a top 10 list of the most anticipated or best watched Tvseries, but it is one that provides a simplistic approach to a usually complicated sub topic. That being said, you may want to watch it for that ease of narration and for the simplicity of conflict resolutions.

Created by: Pontus Edgren, Martina Håkansson
Based on: Quicksand (Störst av allt) by Malin Persson Giolito
Written by: Camilla Ahlgren
Directed by: Per-Olav Sørensen, Lisa Farzaneh
Starring:
Hanna Ardéhn
Felix Sandman
William Spetz
Ella Rappich
David Dencik
Reuben Sallmander
Maria Sundbom
Rebecka Hemse
Arvid Sand
Helena af Sandeberg
Anna Björk
Producer(s): Fatima Varhos, Frida Asp
Production location(s): Sweden, Croatia
Cinematography: Ulf Brantås

FCA's AppR: 7.7/10