Noir Taffy

A puzzler, a teaser, stretched so far, and in so many directions, boomerang injury is always a possibility.It is nigh impossible to avoid  frequent discussion of nordic nations as exemplars of gender equality. In the most recent rating of countries in gender politics and equity, Iceland was ranked first with much of Scandinavia close behind. America, as is so often the case far behind. And in terms of the nordic noir phenomenon, it is often claimed that the presence of strong and "direct" female characters are a major reason for its popularity from Lisbeth Salander to Sara Lundt;  In fact, a recent New Yorker article on DR productions that included an interview with Sofie Goebol, reflected that 'kick-ass" female characters are so prominent that Scandinavians  have invented a specific category within fiction and film to account for these female cultural warriors. And Grabol's character has been described by some as the greatest fictional feminist ever. But simultaneously many struggle to account for the various psychic wounds these women almost invariably suffer from. The female lead of the cult hit The Bridge, is widely assumed to suffer from Aspergers Syndrome, for instance, and Sarah Lundt is in effect an utterly dysfunctional human being, relationship wise, both within personal and professional interaction. To be sure such flaws or limitations are also readily apparent in their male counterparts (Harry Hole's raging alcoholism, Wallander's profound levels of neurotic disposition etc), but certainly in discussing gender equality issues these alienating attributes seem to demand a specific level of attention or interpretive focus. In a recent online article, an American academic goes to great length (though with no great success) to argue that Sarah's loneliness is a deliberate sacrifice to benefit a greater good, and thus embodies the progressive dimension within Scandinavian cultures. A more persuasive analysis is presented by Kristin Bergman in her well-researched study Swedish Crime Fiction: The Making of Nordic Noir where she suggests that Scandanavian cultures have struggled to move beyond traditional concepts of female identity, despite the changing image of women mediated through art and statistical measures of equality.In this context it is interesting to note that Sofie Grabol struggled to play Sarah Lundt, having played so many emotional female characters, until hitting on the idea of playing her as a man. And she consciously conceived of the character as Clint Eastwood like. You figure it out.