Topic, a unique streaming platform that caters off the mainstream to international films of all genres, will soon have another exciting new series to add to its growing catalog. Per a report from Collider, a drama thriller series titled Helsinki Syndrome is set to premiere on Feb. 16, and the official trailer for the project has been released.
Helsinki Syndrome is an eight-part series that centers around a middle-aged man named Elias Karo who seeks revenge against the Finnish government for allowing a corrupt bank manager and district court judge to take his family’s possessions away, including his father’s business which led to his suicide. Despite the obvious risk to his life, Elias takes four prominent journalists hostage, intending to use them to expose a massive government scandal he had since discovered and been punished for by the government in question.
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However, what seems like a clever plan could still easily collapse around Elias, should the journalists refuse to cooperate or tell the truth. As the trailer above shows, the clock ticks as the Finnish police mount a hostage rescue operation and civilian protests grow outside the building’s gates. Whether Elias will get justice for his family and everyone affected by the government’s brutish mistakes and whether the journalists decide to use their influence properly as the Fourth Estate and hold their government accountable, audiences will have to wait to find out mid-February.
The official synopsis for the series can be read below.
“We will find the truth; we will find the culprits.”
From the producers of Finnish TV series “Bordertown,” this eight-episode drama thriller tells the story of entrepreneur and family man Elias Karo, who takes four journalists hostage to get them to reveal a government coverup that destroyed his family and countless others 30 years ago. In the 90s, a bank manager and a district court judge took his family’s possessions with the Finnish government’s blessing and caused a financially triggered tragedy that still continues today for hundreds of families who find themselves ineligible for any COVID assistance, bankrupting their businesses. Elias hopes that by holding the journalists captive, he can expose the corruption and conspiracy to keep Finland’s working poor from getting ahead.
The Use of Helsinki, or Rather Stockholm Syndrome in Film
The title of the series clearly references the token psychological disorder Stockholm Syndrome, described as when a victim taken hostage gradually forms a psychological and even emotional bond with their kidnapper. This most likely alludes to the journalists Elias takes hostage who, after listening to his story and the despairing truth of the coverup, develop sympathy for him and understand his plight.
Several other films have used Stockholm Syndrome in various ways to convey their stories and peel back the layers of an otherwise villainous character, or their victims for that matter. Some more notable examples include the film aptly named Stockholm, which is actually about the true story of a bizarre bank heist in Stockholm, Sweden. It gained international attention, including that of the New Yorker publication, and led to the establishment of Stockholm Syndrome as a psychological condition.
Another more mainstream example is V for Vendetta, an action drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name about the ideological battle between a tyrannical government in England and an enigmatic, masked man named ‘V’ (Hugo Weaving). At one point, V enlists the help of a young woman caught up in one of his bomb threats named Evie (Natalie Portman) to help him carry out the remainder of his plots, and essentially holds her hostage while doing so, both out of initial distrust and protection of her from the clutches of the government. However, over time Evie learns more about V and his past and forms a connection with him over their shared traumas inflicted by the government they despise. Ultimately she becomes entirely sympathetic to his cause and even falls in love with him. This film stands as one of the more significant examples within a hugely popular blockbuster.
