''The Chestnut Man'' (
Danish: ''Kastanjemanden'') is a Danish crime series released on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on 29 September 2021. The series was created by Dorte Warnøe Hagh, David Sandreuter, and Mikkel Serup, is directed by
Kasper Barfoed
Kasper Barfoed (born 1972) is a Danish film director.
Barfoed was born in 1972, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has a bachelor's degree in comparative literature from the University of Copenhagen.
Selected filmography (as director)
*''The Lost Treasu ...
and Mikkel Serup, and is based on the book of the same name by Søren Sveistrup. The series stars
Danica Curcic and
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as Naia Thulin and Mark Hess, who investigate the murders of several women involving a mysterious chestnut figurine left at the crime scenes. The series was renewed for a second season in 2024, adding
Sofie Gråbøl
Sofie Gråbøl (; born 30 July 1968) is a Danish actress. She has starred in a number of films, with her breakthrough role in the 1986 Danish film '' Early Spring'', directed by Astrid Henning-Jensen, playing the lead role in the film version of ...
and
Katinka Lærke Petersen to the cast; it is set to premiere in 2026.
Synopsis
''The Chestnut Man'' opens with the discovery of the murder of an entire family on an isolated farm in 1987. More than thirty years later, in present-day Copenhagen, a young woman is found murdered in a playground with one of her hands missing. Detective Naia Thulin is assigned to the case. With her reluctant new partner, Mark Hess, they notice a tiny figurine made of chestnuts lying next to the body. A mysterious piece of evidence is soon discovered on the chestnut man—the fingerprint of a missing girl, the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung.
Cast and characters
*
Danica Curcic as Naia Thulin, an investigator with the Copenhagen police
*
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as Mark Hess, an investigator from
Europol
Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU). Established in 1998, it is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the central hub for coordinating c ...
who temporarily returns to Copenhagen.
*
David Dencik
Karl David Sebastian Dencik (; born 31 October 1974) is a Swedish-Danish actor. He has acted in both Swedish and Danish films, his break-through in Sweden being his role in the mini-series '' Lasermannen'' and has then had major roles in English- ...
as Simon Genz, a forensics worker with the Copenhagen police
*
Lars Ranthe
Lars Kristian Ranthe (born 26 August 1969) is a Danish actor.
Personal life
Ranthe married to actress Christina Albeck Børge in 1998 with whom he has two daughters, actress Rigmor Ranthe (born 2004) & Betty Marie Ranthe (born 2008).
Sele ...
as Nylander, Thulin's boss
*
Iben Dorner as Rosa Hartung, the Danish Minister of Social Affairs, whose daughter Kristine has disappeared.
* Esben Dalgaard Anderssen as Steen Hartung, Rosa's husband
*
Liva Forsberg as Le Thulin
*
Louis Næss-Schmidt as Gustav Hartung
*
Ali Kazim as Nehru
*
Anders Hove as Aksel
*
Elliott Crosset Hove
Elliott Crosset Hove (born 18 March 1988) is a Danish–American actor mostly known for his work with Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason
Hlynur Pálmason (born 1984) is an Icelandic film director, screenwriter, and visual artist.
Early lif ...
as Linus Bekker
Episodes
Development
On 19 August 2019, Netflix announced its second Danish series at the Copenhagen TV Festival. ''The Chestnut Man'' is based on the debut novel by award-winning writer Søren Sveistrup (''
The Killing'') and the series debuted on Netflix worldwide.
Reception
''The Chestnut Man'' received generally favourable views from critics and holds a 100% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, based on six critic reviews. Critics have described the show as "gripping" and "gruesome", while others, like ''
Verdens Gang
(), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norway, Norwegian Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, declining from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. Nevertheless, ''VG'' is ...
'', described it as a "perfected cliche", while also giving it a four out of six on a dice roll.
References
External links
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chestnut Man (TV series), The
Danish-language television shows
Netflix television dramas
2021 Danish television series debuts
Danish crime television series
Danish drama television series