This New Swedish Show From Netflix Is the Best True-Crime Series in Recent Years
An honest and sincere story about one of Sweden's most brutal crimes.
The new Swedish series The Breakthrough is based on real events. In 2004, a double murder occurred in Linköping that shook the entire country.
In terms of the resources used to catch the killer, the investigation was the second largest in Swedish history after the assassination of the prime minister in 1986.
What Is The Breakthrough About?
On the morning of October 19, eight-year-old Adnan was walking to school in Linköping when an unknown man attacked him with a knife. The boy's screams brought Gunilla, a teacher who gave classes to migrants, to the scene.
The attacker stabbed two victims and fled. Karin witnessed the horrific double murder. A few days later, the police were able to draw a sketch of the perpetrator. Investigator John was assigned to the case.
Despite hundreds of interviews, the criminal was never identified. Everything changed just 16 years later. An aging John heard about a new method and turned to a genealogist for help. Thanks to a DNA sample left at the crime scene, the killer was found.
The Breakthrough Is an Accurate True Crime Series
The names of the victims, the investigator and the genealogist have been changed in the series, but otherwise the authors tell the true story accurately.
The criminal was found thanks to the method of comparing the DNA profile with data from genetic genealogy websites, as well as with samples taken from residents of Linköping and the surrounding area. In 2016, thanks to exactly the same procedure, the famous Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo was caught in the US.
The Breakthrough Honestly Conveys the Feelings of Those Involved in This Crime
The Swedish miniseries is very different from classic Scandinavian noirs like The Bridge or The Killing.
The series does not feature a charismatic investigator who solves complicated cases. The writers treat the victims and their relatives with great respect, do not play with the facts and approach the story very carefully.
Equal attention is paid to the investigator John, who has lost his peace, divorced his wife and had little contact with his adolescent son, as well as to Adnan's mother and father and Gunilla's husband.
The creators repeatedly show that the relatives of the murdered were unable to move on, while at the same time the life of the policeman who led the case was destroyed. All those involved in the high-profile crime lost their peace for 16 years.
The Breakthrough Is a True Crime TV Series We All Deserve
The Breakthrough is an honest and detailed true crime investigation of a shocking murder in a quiet town where such horrors have only been seen on television.
Breakthrough successfully reveals the full horror of a private tragedy and tells of the incredible work of an investigator and genealogist. The show gives hope that every crime will be solved sooner or later - you just have to keep up with new technologies.