Riding in Darkness (TV series)
| Riding in Darkness | |
|---|---|
| Swedish | Nattryttarna |
| Genre | Drama |
| Screenplay by | Ulf Kvensler |
| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Sweden |
| Original language | Swedish |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Original release | |
| Network | C More Entertainment |
| Release | 31 October – 12 December 2022 |
Riding in Darkness (Swedish: Nattryttarna, lit. 'The night riders') is an eight-episode 2022 Swedish drama series, partly based on Sophie Jahn's autobiography Daddy's Girl on the Horse Farm (Swedish: Pappas flicka på hästgården).
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Jonas Karlsson as Tommy
- Hanna Ardéhn as Victoria
- Saga Samuelsson as Molly
- Malin Persson as Lotta
- Amanda Jansson as Frida
Supporting
[edit]- Tehilla Blad as Agnes
- Melinda Kinnaman as Katarina
- Christopher Wollter as Tomas
- Emma Comstedt as Victoria, aged 5
- Lovis Bello as Agnes, aged 4
- Mi-Lou Wehrling as Malin
- Frida Argento as Bettina
Background
[edit]In 1991, a man who owned a horse farm in Ekerö was convicted of sexual crimes against five girls between the ages of 14 and 17. After a two and a half year prison term, he returned to the farm and continued operating the farm. His business also remained accredited by the National Organization of Riding Schools. Several years later, in 1994, Sveriges Television aired a documentary Dömd på förhand (English: Prejudged) alleging that the girls who accused the man of abuse had lied.[1]
In May 2018, Sveriges Radio P1 released "Hästgården", a five-episode program about a riding instructor who was convicted of sexual crimes against his students in the 1990s, and was able to continue working even after his conviction and prison sentence.[2] Robert Barkman and Daniel Velasco received the Swedish Grand Prize for Journalism, in the category of Storyteller of the Year, for the program.[3]
In October 2021, Sophie Jahn, the daughter of the riding instructor (who had died of cancer in 2018), published a memoir about her childhood titled Daddy's Girl on the Horse Farm (Swedish: Pappas flicka på hästgården). It was written in collaboration with Marie-Anne Knutas.[4]
Production
[edit]After the case came to broader attention in the Sveriges Radio program, Ulf Kvensler met with Jahn, her younger sister, and others with knowledge of the case. He began writing the script based on the content of those interviews.[5] Jahn collaborated with show runners on the development of the series and visited set during the production.[6][7]
Filming began in August 2021, mostly in Lerum.[7][8]
Reception
[edit]Writing for Dagens Nyheter, Wanda Bendjelloul gave the series four out of five stars. She praised Molly Hartleb and Julia Lindström's direction, and Karlsson's "skin-crawling" depiction as the "sometimes charismatic, sometimes diabolical" Tommy. She also cited Saga Samuelsson and Amanda Jansson as two standout performances.[9]
The series received a positive review from Karolina Fjellborg in Aftonbladet.[10]
Karlsson's performance as Tommy was given particular praise by Jan Andersson in Hallands Nyheter.[11]
Award nominations
[edit]The series was nominated at Kristallen 2023 for Television Drama of the Year. Karlsson and Samuelsson also earned nominations for their individual performances.[12]
Karlsson was also nominated for an International Emmy for Best Actor.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Malmqvist, Moa (9 January 2023). ""Vi överlevde för att vi skyddade yngre barnen från ridläraren"". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Hästgården – alla avsnitt - P1 Dokumentär". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 16 May 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Stora Journalistpriset 2018: Här är alla vinnarna". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 22 November 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Malmqvist, Moa (11 January 2023). ""Övergreppen mot stallflickorna och våldet mot oss var elefanten i rummet"". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Yussuf, Mohamed (15 January 2021). "Prisad historia om övergrepp på ridcenter blir tv-drama". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Fakta: Nattryttarna". Hallands Nyheter. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ a b ""Nattryttarna" (tv-serie)". Göteborgs-Posten. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ Elfvelin, Daniel (7 March 2023). "Satsning på filmturism i Leriwood". Lerums Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Jonas Karlsson är diabolisk som pervers ridlärare i "Nattryttarna"". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2 November 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Fjellborg, Karolina (31 October 2022). "Så bra är C Mores "Nattryttarna" – om övergreppen på hästgården" [Arrest made in connection with abuse at the horse farm: That's how good C More's "Riding in Darkness" is]. www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ Andersson, Jan (1 November 2022). "Jonas Karlsson briljerar som obehaglig hästägare i "Nattryttarna"". Hallands Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ Andersson, Jan-Olov; Fjellborg, Karolina (28 August 2023). "De vinner på Kristallen 2023". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ "Jonas Karlsson kan ta hem en Emmy" [Jonas Karlsson can take home an Emmy]. Hallands Nyheter. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.