General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Anxious People

Anxious People (Folk med ångest) is a 2021 Swedish drama comedy limited series for Netflix, based on Fredrik Backman's 2019 novel of the same name and directed by Felix Herngren. Its six episodes follow a failed bank robber who, after robbing a cashless bank, takes eight people hostage during an apartment open house, and the father-and-son police pair who investigate when the robber vanishes without a trace.¹

Key fact	Detail
Original title	Folk med ångest, the same title as Backman's 2019 novel²
Format	Swedish-language limited series, 6 episodes, TV-MA, comedy/drama/mystery³
Release	Globally on Netflix on December 29, 2021¹
Director	Felix Herngren; screenwriters Camilla Ahlgren (head writer) and Alex Haridi¹
Production	FLX, producer Anna Carlsten; parts filmed in Södertälje¹^•⁴
Lead roles	Alfred Svensson as Jack, Dan Ekborg as his father Jim¹
Reception	86% average Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes; 6.8/10 on IMDb³^•⁵

Spoilers

Premise

The story begins with a bank robbery in a sleepy small town in Sweden. The robber targets a cashless bank, so there is nothing to steal, and while trying to escape he stumbles into an apartment open house and accidentally takes the visitors hostage. After giving up and releasing everyone, the robber disappears; when the police storm the apartment, it is empty.¹^•⁶

The investigation falls to Jack and Jim, two small-town police officers who are father and son and not used to solving serious crimes.¹^•⁷ In a series of contradictory testimonies afterward, the hostages each tell their own version of what happened, building a puzzle mystery around how the robber escaped and why everyone is so angry. The hostages also share a common secret that creates a strong bond between them.¹

The hostage group is drawn with broad strokes: an over-enthusiastic real estate agent, two bitter IKEA addicts who have visited nearly every IKEA in Sweden while building a small real estate empire, a pregnant woman, a bank manager, and a person in a rabbit costume, Lennart, an actor caught up in dramas he never really understands.⁶ The series examines the backstories of each captive and the police, and reveals how the robber managed to escape.⁶

Cast

Netflix's announced cast pairs Alfred Svensson with the role of Jack, Dan Ekborg with Jim, Leif Andrée with Roger, Marika Lagercrantz with Anna-Lena, Carla Sehn with Julia, Petrina Solange with Ro, Anna Granath with Zarah, Per Andersson with Lennart, Lottie Ejebrant with Estelle, Sofia Ledarp with Maria, and Shima Niavarani with Milou.¹ Sascha Zacharias also appears in the cast.⁸

Production

In October 2019 it was announced that Backman's novel would become a Swedish Netflix original, produced by FLX, the company behind Quicksand and Love & Anarchy. Production had started by November 2020, when Netflix announced the cast, and parts of the series were filmed in Södertälje.⁸^•⁴

Herngren, a Swedish filmmaker and founder of FLX, said he wanted to adapt the book as a film or series as soon as it came out, describing Backman as understated and warm with cleverly constructed stories.⁴^•⁹ The screenplay was adapted by Camilla Ahlgren, head writer, known for The Bridge (Bron) and Quicksand (Störst av allt), and Alex Haridi.⁹

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an average Tomatometer of 86%, and it rates 6.8/10 on IMDb.³^•⁵ Swedish critics were mixed: Svenska Dagbladet's reviewer found that the pace and the tangled plot kept the series at a cozy level rather than lifting the Backman material, while Aftonbladet called it fine but forgettable, noting that the names behind the production had raised expectations the result could not match.¹⁰^•¹¹

Later adaptation

In May 2025, Deadline reported that an American film adaptation of the novel was in the works with Angelina Jolie in the leading role of Zara, directed by Marc Forster, who also directed the American version of Backman's A Man Called Ove. Backman wrote on Instagram that handing over the character to Jolie was one of the highlights of his career.¹²

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Organized crime and heist series

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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