Nordic Noir — Location, Identity and Emotion

Abstract

How can we define the Nordic element in ‘Nordic noir’? ‘Noir’ is an established international term, which refers to a particular film genre and style, coined during the 1930s, whereas the epithet ‘Nordic’ is open to interpretation. Presumably it is bound to the Nordic region, but in which ways — geographically, culturally or socially? Which role can be ascribed to the apparent differences between the Nordic countries (for example, climate, landscape or mentality)? Are these differences represented in ‘Nordic noir’ or are they absent? To which degree can the term be considered a precise label of a recent, widespread phenomenon in Nordic media culture? To which degree does it represent successful commercial branding — perhaps even a branding of the involved nations behind the phenomenon? All things considered, which implications are embedded in the concept ‘Nordic noir’?