Love & Anarchy Review: It’s All Fun and Games in Stockholm

Love & Anarchy is a funny tale that turns quite touching in the end. The series is about allowing yourself to be who you are, proud and without fear. It’s all wrapped up in a hilarious game starting when business consultant Sofie meets young IT tech Max through her new assignment at a publishing firm.

Created by Lisa Langseth, Love & Anarchy is the second Swedish Netflix original after Quicksand, a psychological crime teen drama from 2019. Sofie is portrayed by Ida Engvoll, seen on the Swedish show The Restaurant, and Max is played by newcomer Björn Mosten.

Several things make Love & Anarchy such an enjoyable show. First of all, it builds a solid and layered insight into Sofie’s life and mind.

Sofie, her photographer husband Johan, and two children make up a typical, hip inner-city Stockholm family, who fetch dinner from the fancy deli around the corner and are in the midst of at least one home improvement to dazzle friends with.

At the same time, they are busy dealing with everyday kid stuff.

As we follow them hanging out with their friends and mingling at posh hotspots with the art and media community, it becomes clear how their life is about appearance and a constant need to prove themselves worthy enough. Their illusion of success is everything.

Sofie is confident, assertive, and almost a bit arrogant as she starts questioning the old ways of the publishing firm. Her life is in a never-ending high gear, and slowly we get a picture of a woman stressed, yet restless, as she searches for kicks to keep her afloat.

It’s a typical metaphor, but the simple scene with Sofie in an indoor pool — greatly acted and directed — subtly demonstrates how she is drowning, literally and emotionally. This is where Max comes in.

Max is also an outsider at work. He is the IT guy amongst the literary team, and he recently moved to the capital. Although very soft in his ways, he efficiently stops Sofie’s rampaging as he catches her at an awkward moment. That becomes the start of giving each other weird challenges, which raise their adrenaline and changes their perspectives.

The show captures the Swedish mentality nicely here when people at the firm are subjected to the weirdness. Swedes in general don’t question things they don’t understand aloud. They don’t want to confront and create conflict if it’s not necessary.

It’s not only the game that entertains. Love & Anarchy manages eloquently to incorporate current topics through both drama and comedy; including political anxiety, wokeness, the meta-discussion of fine literature versus big buck streaming services, and how the art world can be really pretentious.

Specific Swedish matters that are made painfully fun of throughout include the Swedish so-called neutrality during World War II, as well as how Sweden sometimes is over-digitalized, making it horribly hard for the oldest generation to cope.

The supporting cast aid the story nicely. As Sofie’s husband Johan, Johannes Kuhnke is portraying another self-centered husband just like he did so well in the Golden Globe-nominated Force Majeure.

Björn Kjellman, playing the publishing firm owner Ronny, is one of Sweden’s most popular and versatile actors. Here his whimsical comedy skills get to shine. Reine Brynolfsson brings depth and sympathy to the older publisher Friedrich, who loses his ways in the modern pop culture world.

The ensemble is rounded out by Gezim Erdogan as the publishing sales manager, Carla Sehn as a receptionist, and Lars Väringer as Sofie’s father.

Ultimately Love & Anarchy is a lovely show about these people and this company, who are lost and in need to find the courage to show their true selves to the world. And do so in the most gripping and funny way, as well as understand that life is what happens beyond the surface.

Stray Observations:

• Sofie’s style is cute but tough with the big glasses, messy bun, and prominent lipstick. Why did she have to lose the glasses after one episode? This is typical of shows actually. They introduce characters with glasses to give them a certain air, but after that, it’s not cool enough to keep them.
• The fact that an IT tech would have a drill as a tool in the first place is hilarious (the fiber is already installed) and that he would use it in the wall next to the roof makes absolutely no sense. But alas, this is the way the story is started.

What did you think of Love & Anarchy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Love & Anarchy is streaming now on Netflix.

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