Lena Olin’s fiery performance brings light to 'The Darkness'

She's played a lot of tough and determined characters over the years, but Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir might be Lena Olin’s most impressive role to date.

Lena Olin in 'The Darkness'. Credit: Lilja Jons

An female detective, surrounded by sexist peers and ageist co-workers, deals with the trauma of her own life while investigating a body found frozen in the ice, just as the long dark winter makes it harder to tell what’s real and what’s coming from her own tortured subconscious. The Darkness is off to a good start – and then you see the detective is played by Lena Olin, and it’s a whole different ball game.

Based on the best-selling novel by Icelandic crime novelist Ragnar Jónasson and directed by Academy Award-nominated director Lasse Hallström (who worked with Olin on Chocolat), initially The Darkness seems a well-polished collection of some of Nordic Noir’s greatest hits. It’s Olin’s performance that really pushes it beyond that, giving us a lead constantly – and at times, bluntly – driving forward to help others even as it’s clear she’s crumbling inside.

Olin’s played a wide range of characters in a career spanning almost 40 years. The Unbearable Lightness of Being; Chocolat; Romeo is Bleeding; Mystery Men; The Reader – pretty much the only thing that unites her many film roles is that they’re all characters that, on some level, are tough nuts to crack. And that’s before her numerous television appearances, including her Emmy-nominated stint on spy series Alias and playing Eva Braun, Leader of the Fourth Reich, in the Al Pacino series Hunters.

She might not be out to take over the world, but right from the start it’s clear that Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is nobody’s pushover. When we first see her, she’s out for a morning swim, which is hardly a casual event when you live in Iceland and it’s the middle of winter. Next she’s investigating a car crash where a driver hit a late-night jogger. While everyone else is trying to wrap things up, it doesn’t take her long to figure out it was no accident.

Lena Olin as Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir. Credit: Paramount

There’s two things we learn from this case. Hulda is a determined detective; even when her co-workers want to take the path of least resistance, nothing’s going to stop her. And she’s firmly on the side of those looking to protect their children, which is no surprise considering her personal history. A year ago, her daughter killed herself; Hulda is nowhere near getting past it.

So when some hikers on a glacier discover the frozen body of a young woman, she takes an interest. When the officer assigned the case messes up, she steps up and demands someone more competent – that would be her – takes over. Her boss sees this as an opportunity to solve a problem of his own, so he agrees. With one catch. This case is going to be her last: once it’s over, she’s out the door.

Considering her idea of friendly chit-chat is telling him that he’s out of breath just from eating a pastry, it’s possibly not that surprising he wants her gone. But it’s also part of a deeper issue running through the series. Hulda is a woman who knows her own mind and knows what she wants, whether it’s tracking down criminals or dealing with her grief her own way. And she’s surrounded by people who constantly, whether consciously or not, try to hold her back.

Hulda (Lena Olin) and Lukas (Jack Bannon). Credit: Lilja Jons

With a cast that includes Douglas Henshall, Jack Bannon, and Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (formerly Fortitude’s Deputy Eric), there’s plenty of nuance in the characters she has to deal with. And they’re not all bad: she might initially see new partner Lukas (Bannon) as a bit of a hinderance, but he holds up his end of the investigation. Even a loose cannon needs a bit of back up.

The investigation is far from straightforward either. The dead woman was a Russian journalist seeking asylum after being beaten by pro-government forces; tracking her movements in Iceland, Hulda soon finds herself investigating a human trafficking ring that’s sexually exploiting refugees. If that wasn’t gruelling enough, the story behind her daughter’s death isn’t over yet, and each new piece of that puzzle is going to push her even closer to the edge.

Not that she was all that far from it to begin with. Late in the first episode, she turns up at a death scene thinking the deceased is connected to her investigation. She’s not; when the officer in charge tells Hulda to “turn up her hearing aid” and back off, instead she punches him hard. It’s an impressive blow, and while it might be bad for her career it’s deeply satisfying to watch.

Much like everything Olin does in The Darkness.

All six episodes of The Darkness will be streaming at SBS On Demand from Thursday 9 January. Episodes will also air weekly on Thursdays from 9 January at 9.30pm on SBS.