Riding in Darkness
| 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 |
| Release | 31 October – 12 December 2022 |
Riding in Darkness (Swedish: Nattryttarna, lit. 'The night riders') is an eight-episode 2022 Swedish drama miniseries, partly based on Sophie Jahn's autobiography Daddy's Girl on the Horse Farm (Swedish: Pappas flicka på hästgården).
Background
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 in collaboration with Marie-Anne Knutas about her childhood titled Daddy's Girl on the Horse Farm (Swedish: Pappas flicka på hästgården).[4]
Cast
Main
- Jonas Karlsson as Tommy Lund
- Hanna Ardéhn as Victoria Lund
- Saga Samuelsson as Molly Bennett
- Malin Persson as Lotta Lund
- Amanda Jansson as Frida Karlsson
Supporting
- Tehilla Blad as Agnes Lund
- Melinda Kinnaman as Katarina Rosén
- Christopher Wollter as Tomas Rosén: Katarina's husband
- Emma Comstedt as Victoria, aged 5
- Lovis Bello as Agnes, aged 4
- Jessica Liedberg as Linda: chair of the Heddesta Riding Association
- Frida Argento as Bettina Hansson
- Omeya Lundqvist-Simbizi as Petronella "Nella" Alveström: friend Molly makes at school after leaving Heddesta
- Atina Simonovic as Jenny Rosén
- Nova Salmi-Wikander as Linn Wenger
- Mi-Lou Wehrling as Malin Broström
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Molly Hartleb | Ulf Kvensler | 31 October 2022 | |
|
Molly Bennett, hiding in the forest, flags down a passing taxi and begs to be taken home, but the car is stopped by Lotta Lundh, who insists Molly cannot leave without her parents’ permission. Lotta gets in the passenger seat, saying they will phone her mother. One year earlier, in June 1990, Molly leaves her dysfunctional home and alcoholic mother to begin working at the Heddesta horse farm. The farm is run by Tommy Lundh, who lives there with his wife Lotta and young daughters, Victoria and Agnes. Molly settles in, meeting stable girl Frida and winning her first competition. When Molly speaks with former stable girl Malin, Tommy roughly accosts her. At dinner, Tommy pressures Molly to drink and leads the girls in a "bonding activity" that escalates into inappropriate touching. Molly leaves and tells Lotta, who accuses her of lying. Tommy denies everything, so Lotta kicks Molly out, before changing course and allowing her to stay only if she promises never to lie about him again. At a riding club party, concerns about Tommy’s behaviour surface among parents. Molly and Frida overhear an altercation involving Tommy, later revealed as Lotta discovering him sexually assaulting Bettina. In flashforwards, an adult Victoria reports her father to the police. | |||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Molly Hartleb | Ulf Kvensler | 31 October 2022 | |
|
In the riding area after dark, Tommy gets drunk and pressures an exhausted Molly to practice jumping. He forces her to mount the horse backwards, causing her to be thrown off repeatedly. He calls her worthless and warns her to stay out of things that aren’t her business. He later finds her in the tack room and rapes her. The next morning, Molly requests a day off; Tommy is reluctant but is persuaded by Frida and Lotta. Molly goes home to find her mother has already rented out her room. On her walk back from the bus stop, Tommy offers her a ride. Molly confides in Frida and Bettina, who reveal Tommy rapes them too; amid their shared poor family situations, they agree to stay together to prevent further attacks. However, Tommy still rapes Frida while Molly sits beside them. Later, young Linn seeks refuge in their room after Tommy's attempted assault. Molly tries but fails to convince Frida to leave with her. Molly returns to school, befriends Petronella, and enjoys a party until a consensual embrace triggers a flashback. Katarina hears a rumour that Molly was fired for stealing. Katarina confronts Tommy, who adds further claims about drug use. Suspicious, Katarina contacts Molly directly. Molly confesses Tommy’s assaults and Katarina helps her file a police report. | |||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Molly Hartleb | Ulf Kvensler | 7 November 2022 | |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Molly Hartleb | Ulf Kvensler | 14 November 2022 | |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Julia Lindström | Ulf Kvensler | 21 November 2022 | |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Julia Lindström | Ulf Kvensler | 28 November 2022 | |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Julia Lindström | Ulf Kvensler | 5 December 2022 | |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Julia Lindström | Ulf Kvensler | 12 December 2022 | |
Production
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
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
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
- ^ Malmqvist, Moa (9 January 2023). ""Vi överlevde för att vi skyddade yngre barnen från ridläraren"" [“We survived because we protected the younger children from the riding instructor.”]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Hästgården – alla avsnitt - P1 Dokumentär" [The Horse Farm – all episodes – P1 Documentary]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 16 May 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Stora Journalistpriset 2018: Här är alla vinnarna" [The 2018 Grand Journalism Award: Here are all the winners]. 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"" [“The abuse of the stable girls and the violence against us was the elephant in the room.”]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Yussuf, Mohamed (15 January 2021). "Prisad historia om övergrepp på ridcenter blir tv-drama" [Acclaimed story about abuse at riding center becomes TV drama]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Fakta: Nattryttarna" [Facts: Riding in Darkness]. Hallands Nyheter. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ a b ""Nattryttarna" (tv-serie)" [Riding in Darkness (TV series)]. Göteborgs-Posten. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ Elfvelin, Daniel (7 March 2023). "Satsning på filmturism i Leriwood" [Investment in film tourism in Leriwood]. Lerums Tidning (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Bendjelloul, Wanda (2 November 2022). "Jonas Karlsson är diabolisk som pervers ridlärare i "Nattryttarna"" [Jonas Karlsson is diabolical as a perverted riding instructor in “Riding in Darkness"]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 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]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ Andersson, Jan (1 November 2022). "Jonas Karlsson briljerar som obehaglig hästägare i "Nattryttarna"" [Jonas Karlsson shines as a creepy horse farm owner in “Nattryttarna”]. Hallands Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 June 2025 – via PressReader.
- ^ Andersson, Jan-Olov; Fjellborg, Karolina (28 August 2023). "De vinner på Kristallen 2023" [The winners at Kristallen 2023]. Aftonbladet (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.