Katla (TV series)

Katla (stylized as KATLA) is an Icelandic mystery-drama television series created by Baltasar Kormákur and Sigurjón Kjartansson. The show premiered on 17 June 2021 on Netflix.^[1]

Katla
Promotional poster
Genre	Mystery Drama Horror
Created by	Sigurjón Kjartansson Baltasar Kormákur
Written by	Sigurjón Kjartansson David Mar Stefansson Lilja Sigurðardóttir
Directed by	Baltasar Kormákur Börkur Sigþórsson Þóra Hilmarsdóttir
Starring	Guðrún Eyfjörð Íris Tanja Flygenring Ingvar Sigurðsson Aliette Opheim Valter Skarsgård Aldís Amah Hamilton Þorsteinn Bachmann Sólveig Arnarsdóttir Haraldur Ari Stefánsson Björn Thors Birgitta Birgisdóttir Hlynur Atli Harðarson Helga Braga Jónsdóttir Björn Ingi Hilmarsson
Composer	Högni Egilsson
Country of origin	Iceland
Original languages	Icelandic Swedish English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Producers	Agnes Johansen Baltasar Kormákur Magnús Viðar Sigurðsson
Cinematography	Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson
Editors	Sigurður Eyþórsson Sigvaldi J. Kárason
Production company	RVK Studios
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)

Synopsis

A year after an eruption of the Katla volcano began, only a few people remain in the nearby town of Vík, persisting despite choking ash. An ash-caked woman who apparently disappeared twenty years earlier appears in the village, looking as she did back then. More ash-caked people who died in the past arrive in Vík, creating a paradox for those who knew them and reviving legends of "changelings". Meanwhile, a volcanologist from Reykjavík discovers the remains of a meteorite buried in the glacier, while having to deal emotionally with the reappearance of his dead son. Through their interactions with the "changelings", the inhabitants of Vík are forced to find their own ways of dealing with their unresolved issues from the past.

Cast and characters

• Guðrún Eyfjörð as Gríma Þórsdóttir, younger sister of Ása
• Íris Tanja Flygenring as Ása Þórsdóttir, Gríma's older sister, who died a year ago.
• Ingvar Sigurðsson as Þór (Thor) Jonsson, father of Gríma, Ása, and Björn
• Aliette Opheim as Gunhild Halberg, in the present and as a young woman; mother of Björn
• Valter Skarsgård as Björn, son of Gunhild and Þór through an affair twenty years earlier^[1]
• Aldís Amah Hamilton as Eyja^[1]
• Þorsteinn Bachmann as Gísli Einar, head of the local police, husband of Magnea
• Sólveig Arnarsdóttir as Magnea in the present and as a young woman; wife of Gísli
• Haraldur Ari Stefánsson as Einar,^[1] son of Gísli and Magnea
• Björn Thors as Darri Hansson, volcanologist; husband of Rakel and father of Mikael
• Birgitta Birgisdóttir as Rakel, wife of Darri and mother of Mikael^[1]
• Hlynur Atli Harðarson as Mikael, son of Darri and Rakel who died in an accident years ago.^[1]
• Helga Braga Jónsdóttir as Vigdís^[1]
• Björn Ingi Hilmarsson as Leifur^[1]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date [2]
1	"From Under the Glacier" (Icelandic: Undan Jöklinum)	Baltasar Kormákur[2]	Sigurjón Kjartansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
A year after Katla's eruption, the shattered survivors are still grappling with the aftermath. Suddenly, an ash-caked woman appears on the glacier. She is taken to the hospital and reveals herself to be a Swedish woman named Gunhild.
2	"Ása"	Baltasar Kormákur	Lilja Sigurðardóttir	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
Another ash-caked woman appears; she is Ása, Gríma's sister, thought to have been dead. An older Gunhild flies in from Sweden.
3	"The Mother" (Icelandic: Móðirin)	Baltasar Kormákur	David Mar Stefansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
Darri finds his dead son at his workplace. The boy is also ash-caked, like Gunhild and Ása. Darri tries to hide his son from his colleagues. Ása and Gríma go for a swim in a hot spring.
4	"This Is Not Him" (Icelandic: Þetta er ekki hann)	Þóra Hilmarsdóttir	Sigurjón Kjartansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
After receiving a call from her supposedly dead son, Rakel goes to Katla and meets Darri and the boy. The sisters investigate the shed on the glacier where Asa was first spotted.
5	"Northerly Winds" (Icelandic: Norðanátt)	Börkur Sigþórsson	David Mar Stefansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
A shocking revelation that would ordinarily offer closure instead opens up a chasm of questions. History repeats itself, as a deadly ash storm gathers.
6	"Gríma"	Börkur Sigþórsson	David Mar Stefansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
Face to face with an utter mystery, Gríma tries to understand her shadowy find. Rakel has a change of heart as Gísli deals with an unexpected arrival.
7	"The Rock" (Icelandic: Steinninn)	Börkur Sigþórsson	David Mar Stefansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)
At the scene of the accident, Rakel pours her heart out to Gríma. Darri explores the crevasse for answers.
8	"I Am You" (Icelandic: Ég er þú)	Baltasar Kormákur	Sigurjón Kjartansson	17 June 2021 (2021-06-17)

Production

In February 2017, Variety magazine reported that Baltasar Kormákur would be working on Katla, a supernatural drama series centered on the volcano of the same name, with filming to take place outside Reykjavík.^[3] In October 2019, it was reported that RVK Studios was developing the series for Netflix, to be directed by Kormákur and Sigurjón Kjartansson.^[4] The series started production prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent forced shutdown put a halt to the work, which had covered a few weeks by that point. Kormákur resumed production in April 2020.^[5]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.^[6]

John Doyle of The Globe and Mail wrote: "In what is a slow-moving, Stygian and enigmatic eight-part series ... there's a beguiling mystery about heartbreak."^[7] Robyn Chowdhury of New Scientist praised the series in her review, concluding: "Katla is a thriller with such depth that some episodes, particularly the fast-paced season finale, can leave you feeling genuinely emotionally raw. It is a story about grief with unpredictably dark twists and turns, worthy of multiple watches."^[8]

See also

• The Returned, French TV series
• Glitch, Australian TV series
• In the Flesh, British TV series