BELOW AVERAGE

In 1981, a drunken birthday party causes a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea to lose its way, eventually running aground in the archipelago of southern Sweden.

This tense, real-life international incident becomes the subject of a satirical miniseries that has little interest in what really happened and focuses on familiar, unfunny stereotypes (Brezhnev as a perpetual drunk, Reagan as a gung-ho cowboy) and international intrigue that quickly becomes silly.

Over-the-top, but only fitfully amusing; Rolf Lassgård is perfect as a sheep farmer-turned-prime minister.

2024-Sweden. 174 min. Color. Widescreen. Created and written by Henrik Jansson-Schweizer. Story: Jonas Jonasson. Directed by Björn Stein. Cast: Rolf Lassgård (Thorbjörn Fälldin), Anders Mossling (Ola Ullsten), Niklas Engdahl (Börje Lagerkrantz), Elsa Saisio, Kestutis Stasys Jakstas, Mark Noble, Filip Berg, Per Ragnar, Adam Lundgren. 

Trivia: Originally shown in six episodes.