Families fight to reunite in Norwegian drama 'The Fortress'

A deadly pandemic sends a walled-off Norway into a state of panic in the year 2037, as one family seeks asylum while another fights for their freedom.

A man stands in front of a chain fence, talking to three people in soldier's uniforms.

Russell Tovey in 'The Fortress'. Credit: Lukas Salna Maipo / Viaplay

It’s fair to say we’ve seen our share of dystopia-themed content on our screens of late, as evidenced by the recent success of shows like The Last of Us, Fallout and Station Eleven. But whilst Zombie apocalypses and nuclear-ravaged wastelands feel somewhat removed from our everyday reality, The Fortress paints a far more realistic portrait of a not-too-distant future.

In fact, there are times during this new seven-part drama series where you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a documentary, such is the grounded approach to the material and the similarities to our own geopolitical climate. Surveillance, food security and fascism are all on the minds of the show's creators, and the sheer amount of world building is impressive for a show of this scale.

The story takes place within a newly independent Norway, where all food is sourced locally, and the entire nation has been sealed off from the rest of the world through the construction of a giant wall. The precious equilibrium of this would-be utopia is upended when a newly discovered disease begins to spread amongst its citizens, calling into question whether those in power will call for aid or put the lives of its people at risk.

It’s a pressure cooker of a set up that previously may have felt like the realm of pure fiction, but in a post-COVID world that knows all too well how quickly entire countries can become destabilised in times of widespread panic, it makes for compelling viewing.

A particularly frightening scene depicts how the virus first originates - through the seemingly innocent act of a pet dog playing with a dead fish on the shoreline, before returning to the loving arms of its owner. Patient zero in this case may as well be named Chekhov’s Codfish, such is the rapid escalation of events that occurs from this point on.

At the centre of the drama are two families at opposite ends of the unfolding crisis. No stranger to shows about a dystopian future is cast member Russell Tovey, having been one of the breakout stars of the brilliant Years and Years. Tovey plays British father Charlie who, along with his baby daughter, is granted asylum into Norway, only to discover that his wife has been denied the same privilege. When the two are separated, Charlie’s wife tries to enter the country through any means necessary, while her husband must comply with a long and arduous government program to win his way to permanent residency.

A woman in a red dress tands in front of a group of men in suits.

Esther (Selome Emnetu). Credit: Lukas Salna Maipo / Viaplay

At the other end of the social hierarchy is Esther (Selome Emnetu), a government worker who, after carrying out her years of service within the city of Bergen, finds herself trying to break free of the very system she helped create so she can be reunited with her own family.

As these two storylines slowly intertwine, we begin to see the stark contrast between the haves and have nots, and as the unfolding crisis grips this nationalist Norway, you can’t help but put yourself in the shoes of its desperate characters.

And overseeing it all is the charismatic prime minister Grieg Amund Heyerdahl (Tobias Santelmann, whose impressive CV includes several other dramas streaming at SBS ON Demand:

Veronika,

Exit

and

Darkness: Those Who Kill)

, chief architect of the “New Norway”. Having been in power for 12 years, and with more than a few fleeting similarities to some real-world leaders, he draws in the talents of young speechwriter Ariel (Eili Harboe) in the hopes of winning over fresh voters in a crucial upcoming election.

It’s through Ariel's eyes that we begin to understand who ultimately holds control within this frightening new world order - where true liberty lies beyond the grasp of not only its citizens, but also the countless men and women outside its walls who desperately fight for the hope of a better life.

The Fortress feels like a timely warning. In a long line of television shows and films that have depicted society on the brink, it takes a story such as this to show us what’s really at stake when we surrender our freedoms and shut ourselves off from the world around us.

The Fortress is streaming now at SBS On Demand.