User reviews

... especially if you belong to the "upper middle class" and happen to live in a "villa suburb" in Sweden or some country with simlilar cultural references.

I do not, although I am Swedish. But evenso I can enjoy much of the show (having seen 4 out of 6 episodes). Much due to the main character, played by Mattias Nordkvist, who has become kind of a personal of mine favorite since his outstanding achievement in the masterpiece "Vår tid är nu" (2017-19). He also starred in "White Wall" (2020), the latter being an underrated sci-fi thriller, well worth watching. In "Vi i villa" Mr. Nordkvist is also doing his job very well, but his character is not very complex. The script is what it is.

The story is about Anders, a middle-aged middle class man who feels trapped in his unexciting life. He doesn't like his work as a manager on a speaker's agency, being terrorised by his pretty near psycotic boss (Filip Berg is perfect in this role). One day he discovers that his young daughter is bullied by her class mates. So Anders decides for revenge. At first minor misdemeanors, later on more advanced deeds such as blowing up a car using a very unusual - and amusing - method. Of course these acts are not targeted at the pupils, rather at their parents.

It is often funny, with a scent of gravity, but not anything that makes you yearn for the next episode (hence, me having watched only two thirds so far).

When it comes to acting I disagree with the former reviewer! Blame it on the script, maybe on direction, but not on the actors. Noticeable are Johan Widerberg, who goes all in as the alpha male wannabe Martin, an extremely superficial and annoying person and Sanna Sundqvist, who portrays Anders' wife Filippa with bravour.

Although I agree - the 4:3 format is just silly. Maybe it's meant to give the impression of an amateur recorded real life movie, together with the often poorly lit scenery. Looks a bit "last century" although the show obviously takes place in present time. So it does not make any sense at all.

For some reason Vi i villa has been excessively praised by some Swedish professional reviewers, using phrases like "the best you can watch on streaming right now" etc. That might rather reflect their own identification with Anders and the middle-class middle aged thing.

EDIT: after finishing this show, I have to change my rating from formerly 6 to 7. All because of the final episode, which makes up for a lot. It is a rare thing to see such an improvement over the course of a season, the opposite is unfortunately quite more common. In order not to spoil the ending I will stop with this: in episode 6 there are true emotions and a real connection with things that matters in life. Cred to the playwright(s).

Shallow story, mellow drama and lousy direction. Some of the actors are decent but most of them are just pathetic. Also, the idea of using 4:3 format is just a strained way of trying to do something unique. Don't waste your time on this garbage.