30° i februari (2012–2016) User Reviews

Entertaining, annoying, funny, near realistic fiction

[bendahmon · 8/10 · 24 February 2013]

I think they've done a good job with this show. They've tried to make it authentic to a high degree, while they at the same time try to make it a bit dramatic. I've lived many years in Thailand and I can see that the people who made it know Thailand well (as opposed to for example "Hangover - Part 2").

It's not a perfect show, but reality is not perfect either. Some of the characters are really annoying and you just want to slap them. Sometimes the co-incidents are TOO coincidental, but it's acceptable. The English skills of the Thai actors is better than what you can expect, but I guess that makes it easier for people to watch, though, leally not as charming (that was supposed to say "really")

The main reason I liked this show is the character "Glenn". His naivety and bottomless good- will cracks me up time after time. The actor really makes me believe in the character. I'm not sure if I'd watch show if it wasn't for him. But that's another thing about it... there's something in it for "everybody". For example, kids and teenagers might be more into the teenage romance part of the show.

One of the more annoying this is the mother of two girls. She's had a stroke and should be resting, but instead she keeps fighting for her bungalow resort and she never listens to the people around her who advise her to relax. I know exactly how this feels like, to never give up. But it's really annoying to watch someone who never learns or listens.

I also like the portrait of the Thai family life and culture.

I think the acting is decent in this show. They're not over-acting like so many other Scandinavian TV shows and movies.

Overall, one of the best fictional TV productions I've seen made by Scandinavians (Swedes). I'm Norwegian.

Second Season Really Hits Home!!!

[jimbecker1956 · 9/10 · 14 August 2016]

I enjoyed the first season of 30 degrees but had low expectations for season 2 as it was filmed 3 years after the first. But the creators really kicked it up a notch in terms of intensity, real emotions and characters you care about. Season 1 turned out to be more of a prelude and the characters, while interesting, never really seemed more than caricatures. In Season 2 their stories come alive and there is real drama and plenty of tears and laughter. I have to say that after watching each episode I said to myself (and my friends) "Wow". I don't know why it got so much better, if the writers changed or that they took the 3 years to really think through where they wanted the show to go. Either way, this is an example of why European television is so good. They find a way to integrate character development with social and moral issues and beautiful scenery in a truly unique way. All I can say is stick with it, I don't think you will regret it.

Recommend...3 stories of damaged people looking for escape

[mezaco-12407 · 8/10 · 14 March 2016]

I really enjoyed this show and am baffled by the comments of some previous reviewers. Yes, the characters are flawed. That's the point. We all are.

The show features 3 different story lines of Swedish people who travel to Thailand for a new life: a lonely man looking for a wife; a career-driven mother of two who has neglected her family; and a meek older woman looking for escape from her emotionally abusive marriage.

The Thai setting is quite beautiful and the journey each character goes through ranges from uplifting to tragic; it's a pretty sad story all in all but I loved the scenery, and I loved the music. Recommended.

Great

[amir-taheri · 10/10 · 30 June 2013]

I have hardly seen a better drama made in Sweden's history of movie making. The story is day to day life of Swedes and Thais but made strongly with strong script and play.

Whoever have lived in Scandinavia would easily associate him/herself with the life and people pictured in the movie.

Great stress that a working single women with kids have, cold and long winters and desire to escape, a normal happy fine young guy so isolated so that he has lost his skills and hope to meet his future partner in his own country as society is making relations more complicated than ever, ever growing aged population of the country and the challenge to take care of them specially if they are complaining ones (I have that experience as my fist job in Sweden), the simple, clean and honest spirit of Swedish people (Majlis was not a criminal and could easily call Medicare same moment when the unintentional accident happened), ...

There is no exaggerated story line going on throughout the whole film. All sharp edges rounded to bring a pleasant feeling to the viewer. For example script never lets Wilda get hurt in spite of so much of dangers she was exposed to. The down to earth realistic picture attracts many. The film finely promotes the values such as prioritizing and loving kids, family relations, caring and loving animals, understanding and accepting people with other sexual orientations, loving one another in any circumstance. A touch of environment saving values was maybe missing to make it complete.

I give my Award to Kaisa for a powerful play. Majlis was nothing shorter than her in quality of play and of course the great job done by Glenn is close to a master piece. Least quality of play was in my opinion by Joy she was basically only there, no special quality of acting, no face impressions, no body language, very poor act but she is pretty and have an attractive pictographic face of a lovely young girl which may bring her success in the future if mixed with more skills.

An awesome job of shooting is to appreciate greatly. When there is abundance of light in your shooting environment doing a good job is easier but the quality presented in this shooting was of world class. I congratulate the shooting team.

I am a Iranian born Swedish involved in movie industry in Iran.

One of Sweden's greatest series productions

[juliuslundh · 9/10 · 25 April 2016]

I never write reviews but the reviews from some UK viewers (mainly) were very "off" in my opinion.

I usually don't watch Swedish TV, the acting tends to be very stiff and construed most of the time. So, I was hesitant to watch this show at first, but if I get a recommendation I usually give it a try. After having lived in South East Asia for half a year I was also looking forward to get some nostalgia. Now, to the actual review.

When I afterwards talked to the person who recommended it to me I told her: "Fantastic show! I didn't like one single character!"

And this is not entirely true, some characters really grew on me (Glenn especially), while some were strong for the entire series (e.g. Oh). But in general, the main characters were not very sympathetic, not even Majlis who let her insecurities rule her into continuous irresponsible decisions. This is not a problem for me, in fact, I find it to be a nice change from all the American TV-shows where you like even the most annoying characters (very often even more so). "30 degrees in February" showed genuine characters, people that we have all met and that we can maybe even identify ourselves with. People are idiots, but people are also wonderful; there are no absolutes, and this series captured that beyond anything I have ever seen.

TV-shows that focus so much on character development often loses its tempo and direction, but in this series the character development was the show and it kept its own momentum. Living in Cambodia and traveling in Thailand I saw all these characters in different places, all of them looking for something; from the young girl escaping responsibilities to the woman redefining her life without her husband. I recognized all the struggles of the characters, and I think that the script writers and producers portrayed how the characters dealt with them very realistically, although fictionally of course.

In answer to some earlier reviewers: Maybe you should watch both seasons of the show?

I am not fond of the idea that something should be made less realistic in order to catch the attention of the viewers. In fact, that is the opposite of what I would want, and there is already plenty of shows like that (and of course, theater).

All in all, the show was beautiful and gave a realistic depiction of Swedes in Thailand, especially those going to these areas cramped with other Swedes. If you are Swedish you can definitely relate in some way, and if you are not, then this could be a crash course to how different Swedes can be. Because we are not all the same, and maybe you didn't meet these Swedes yet (normally you wouldn't because they only hang out with other Swedes), but I can promise you that they exist.

I liked this series a lot

[tomb528 · 8/10 · 5 May 2016]

I've never been to Sweden or Thailand, so I wasn't bothered by any inconsistencies. I just watched both seasons and although frustrated with some of the characters, it didn't put me off from watching the whole thing. I thought it was interesting and character-driven and I enjoyed seeing Thailand, since the filming did seem very authentic. The scenes switching from Stockholm to Phuket were fascinating to me. Such extreme weather differences! All in all I enjoyed it very much, even if others did not. The best thing about it was that it ISN'T American spoon fed television. It's different. I'm not sure many Americans would enjoy this series. But now that the entire 2 seasons is out on Netflix, maybe others will give it a try.

It's True

[vladimirjp-80872 · 3 May 2016]

The reason why this show is so good is simply because all the reviews on here are accurate.

this show is irreverent, dark, funny, unconventional, poor, good, miserable, annoying, well shot, poorly lit, drama, sensibility, moronic, well-paced, poorly executed mess of a joy to watch.

its a great departure from what characters normally are. they are all a bit cynical, each fighting some inner daemon. this show depicts the rare times when people do make the bad decisions, when someone does something just because... this show exposes human behavior when we pride our ignorance. at our worst. I guess this was also very cerebral.

I enjoyed both seasons

Great show, could use a bit of happiness

[francis-128 · 8/10 · 7 December 2013]

I recently came back from Thailand, a country that impressed me a lot, so I decided to watch this series to revive a bit of my experience there.

While the portrait of Thailand was faithful (as far as I can judge from such a small time there), I just saw Thailand as a shinny, happy and peaceful place. In this series, there's just disgrace, disgrace and more disgrace. Couldn't someone at least be happy in this series? Why everybody had to be so hopelessly lost and miserable?

Don't get me wrong, I loved the series - it is a great show. But it was, at the same time, a 10- hour torture, because nothing gets better for anyone. I just wish a bit of the good sides of Thailand and of the Thai people were reflected in the show. Too much focus on "thais-just- want-to-rip-off-and-will-do-it-all-for-money" and "typical-depressed-scandinavian", and too less focus on the beauty, generosity and happy vibes of Thai people and on how healing it is to be in that paradise.

An accurate look at Thailand

[gatorsoft · 7/10 · 12 January 2017]

I live in Thailand and this is the best representation of typical day to day life in Thailand that I have seen in movies or TV. This is probably true because it is obviously filmed in Thailand, and shows glimpses outside the urban tourist areas. I have not encountered very many Thais with such good English skills as those depicted, but overall it is very accurate. I like that it shows the Thais in both good and bad lights. There are many women in Thailand like Narn that are out to fleece the foreigner for all they can, particularly in Phuket. But there are a lot more like Oh and Dit's family that are poor, hardworking and moral people. They even managed to capture some of the elitist arrogance of the police and government workers that is common in Thailand.

What impresses me the most and to a minor degree detracts from the show for me is the depiction of the main character Swedes. To me it paints the Swedes in a very poor light. They are rude and arrogant towards the Thais, but most significant is that all of the main Swedish characters seem to be either completely clueless or batshit crazy. I repeatedly find myself chastising the characters for their stupidity and shaking my head in disbelief that anyone could be such idiots. I certainly hope that they are not representative of the typical Swede.

Very entertaining

[johnnyolsen38 · 8/10 · 1 January 2014]

This is a typical Scandinavian series with Scandinavian humor. I really enjoyed it when watching it on netflix. I see others think it is no good, but I guess he is not from Scandinavia. Several of my friends and family have also watched it and enjoyed it. Judge by yourself, is my recommendation. It starts with different swedes going to Thailand. One of them wants to meet his future wife, at least so he hopes. However, he ends up marrying a ladyboy. An old couple goes to their first foreign holiday, and the wife eventually frees herself from her dominating and demanding husband.

Another family goes on holiday but ends up buying a resort on one of the islands.

The story line follows them through their stay in Thailand,

Intriguing, good viewing!

[fkemble-96216 · 7/10 · 13 May 2016]

I was turned onto this show by a friend and at first I was barely able to watch it but the more I persevered, the more hooked I became. It is a little scary to contemplate the prospect of so many completely dysfunctional and extremely odd swedes arriving in deluges to chase sunshine, sea and sex and thereby feed an increasingly sick tourist industry in Thailand and that I guess, was part of the fascination for the show. I have to say that the acting was excellent in most cases especially the guy who plays Glen and the young woman who plays Joy. There is a slight 'B' movie-ish feel to the show and some things just don't work; for example the scene where the little girl digs up what is supposed to be a septic tank, drags it over to the neighbours beach and unleashes the contents- that was just plain terrible. Generally speaking though; I thought the show really good and especially bearing in mind how hard it is for a non-English speaking country to break into the market.I even liked the music which is quaint but catchy.

Great show

[nichlasrisgaardbjork · 10/10 · 18 March 2024]

Just a show after my taste. Good drama with funny/annoying elements. Even though the characters is all mentally unstable it gives a some how a realistic feel to the show, can you really find happiness in Thailand?

Favorite character is definitely Glenn, great actor who lifts the role to perfection. He is so god dam Stupid in a good realistic way.

The storyline with Mailis is interesting and unfortunately I think many women are in the same situation in their relationships.

The family is both likeable and hateable on the same time.

All in all, great show and easy to watch and I was very entertained.

This series is actually about mental health

[richn-44890 · 5/10 · 29 April 2017]

I was recommended this series because it's about foreigner adventures in Thailand.

It was not what I expected.

It's actually a series about mental health. All three main characters suffer from some quite severe mental health problems and Thailand is just a convenient backdrop to their mania.

Among the many problems with this series are:

1. There are three entirely separate story lines that do not interlink at all. Not locations, not leading characters, not supporting roles. They happen to be set in Thailand, apparently Phuket, but that is the only linking theme.

2. They must take place in wildly different timelines. The old couple and the fat guy are on a package tours, presumably for two weeks, but the family in this time buys a resort, renovates it and next door a Thai guy builds a resort from scratch.

3. All three story lines feature lead Swedes who have severe mental health problems. The mother, who is recovering from a stroke, is detestable in her behaviour and should be sectioned. The old woman becomes a dive master in no time at all and stores her head husband (it was an accident) in the resort room with a towel over his head while he decomposes in the heat. Fat guy plays an absurd innocent who is fleeced rotten by the Thais in what is the only slightly credible storyline.

4. How does an autopsy conclude that a dead body that had been decomposing in the hot air for days on end actually dies by drowning when there could be no water in his decomposing lungs.

5. Money for all three main characters swings between being unlimited and being all spent yet still they manage to live in Thailand throughout the series. Old woman is reduced to eating leftovers off plates in restaurants. Fat guy tells his ladyboy that all the money has gone yet still manages to build her a house. Certifiable mother has no money for bail yet can rebuild her resort once she's out of jail. Nonsense.

6. If Swedes are all like the ones in this series then their largest industry must not be Abba, Ikea or Volvos but therapy.

Brilliantly filmed. Both an escape and journey out of the ordinary into the exotic.

[cassiopeia36 · 11 May 2016]

I am no critic. 30 Degrees in February fills voids inside you didn't realize you had. Complex characters, woven together by means this writer deserves accolades for. Unpredictable, enlightening, brave in its context. Subtlety in its characters driving a more emotional response in its audience. Thailand is filmed and gifted to us in a true experience. Engaging, thought provoking, always a new twist, turn to keep you wondering. An eye opener for those who live vicariously. The filmography, leaves me pleading to see more, learn more about this culture. Never mind he subtitles, these ensure your attention will not stray from the fast moving plots, imaginative and realistic characters and situations. Thank you for delivering such a warm and needed film for those living in 30 degrees in February.

Bunch of nuts

[ronayvera · 4/10 · 28 January 2021]

Delusional people searching for fake happiness in Thailand forgetting that if you suck inside it doesn't matter where you are. They all carry their shadows with them having no inner balance or harmony. I am not Swedish but I live here and they are not like this. Yes, they are quite shallow but usually very responsible for their decisions.

Scatterbrained, embellished, ill-conceived and poorly paced.

[obiestix · 2/10 · 10 April 2012]

The creators of '30 grader i februari' manage to fill a staggering 10 episodes with the ludicrously overstated vacationing "hardships" of a group of tragically deluded Swedes all in search of happiness in Thailand, whether it be through a new home, a new profession, or a loving companion. With thoroughly predictable "twists", tediously drawn-out plots and whimperingly clichéd dialogue to boot, this series makes for a long list of 'no-nos' and 'what-not-to-dos' when making a TV show. In reality they could have easily achieved everything they set out to, in 1 standalone episode never mind 10!! It would've been far less dull and cumbersome at least.

On top of this, the coinciding story lines are not given equal attention or consideration by the creators, and you are left feeling no emotional attachment whatsoever to half of the characters as a result...to be fair though, this is perfectly in keeping with the condemnable modern aversion to proper character development. (i.e Pong and Joy -Why should we care about them? They're relentlessly dull and uninteresting. Exchanging loving glances with each other for the entire series is not enough to demand interest from the viewer i'm afraid!) In the end nothing is properly resolved. No profound truths and realizations revealed, except perhaps for one character. But even then, it's still half-assed in its execution.

In a word: amateur.

END

**Additional Notes:

There is some light, albeit unintentional comic relief in the form of a cute elephant randomly keeling over and dying because he witnessed a fire (oh noooo!), and much to the dismay of a little girl who obviously had great affection for the animal, in spite of the fact that this wasn't effectively established on screen prior to this "tragedy", unless her momentary playing-with-an-elephant scene at some more-than-likely random point earlier on in the series counts.....???!!! Pointless!

Funny/irritating keywords repeated ad nauseum: "Pong"; "Divemaster"; "Ladyboy"; "Happiness".

Dull and highly unrealistic

[obiwan-91680 · 3/10 · 6 April 2015]

It staggers me that some people reviewing this show here consider it at all realistic or even entertaining. I've stuck with '30 Degrees In February' (as it's called here in the UK) for I guess eight episodes now and I find it more and more irritating, the longer it goes on.

I have no sympathy at all with the Swedish mother and her two daughters. None. The mother is a certifiable lunatic, the older daughter is a potential murderess and the younger daughter a latent arsonist. Why should we feel any sympathy for any of them? - they are all truly hateful characters.

Majlis has a slightly more interesting storyline - but again, it's hard to feel any sympathy for her given her own actions. She seems - despite the obvious cruelty of her late husband - to be pathologically unhinged.

Glenn's naivety beggars belief and ruins the show's one intriguing storyline. He's gullible, dimwitted and a bit of an ugly drunk. Again, empathy quotient: nil.

Add in a plot so unrealistic, so full of frankly ludicrous holes and convenient coincidence and I'm afraid the whole thing adds up to a terrible missed opportunity.

I like the show's theme, though. So that's something.

2 stars is being kind!

[qui_j · 2/10 · 10 September 2016]

To watch this series you have to throw away logic completely. For viewers accustomed to Scandinavian Noir films, this is not one of those films. It's the Swedish version of a soap opera or Latin American Telenovela, complete with ridiculous plots, story lines, intrigue and just downright impossible situations. It does however provide a glimpse into seedy side of the sex tourist trade in Thailand, and I guess with the beautiful scenery as the backdrop for the filming, it's great to watch in the middle of a Swedish winter! The characters are all morose, depressing, unlikable, and the circumstances they constantly find themselves in only come about because they keep making naive and stupid decisions. It's just hard to believe that supposedly intelligent people could act so stupidly in a country other than their own. The other annoying thing about the series is that at times the Swedes speak Swedish to the Thais, and the Thais in turn respond speaking Thai, yet still they understand one another.....How's that even possible. If you are looking for an escapist fantasy that seems to just drag on an on at a snail's pace, then this would fit the bill.

Absolutely terrible

[vxiixv · 1/10 · 25 October 2015]

I am one of those who start a series and follows through to completion and this has got to be one of the few worse series i have watched this year.

NONE of the characters are likable. They are selfish, self centred and just pure hateful.

The script writing is just terrible, it is almost as if twelve monkeys and a human were put in a sack and beaten until the script was completed. Here's the few main reasons why:

1) It is Swedish but based in Thailand. Many of the characters spoke Swedish to the Thai characters (vice versa) and somehow they managed to understand each other. Unless in real life their dialogue are subtitled it defies logic.

2) The wheelchair grumpy guy's wife. With very little training and not completing her dive-master (you will hear this so much you want to die) course, she suddenly can take tourists out for dives. Does not make sense.

3) Grumpy wheel chair guy supposedly died hitting his head as he fell over. Why didn't the wife just call the police and say it is an accident? Also, when the body was recovered, how can the autopsy not discover that?

4) The mother and her 2 daughter. Mother is crazy, rude and stupid beyond belief (the food is shitty was what she said of her own resort). The teenage one: if you mother is dire and recovering from a stroke, why are your loins dictating your actions so much so you leave them alone? The youngest one: unruly, crazy, spoilt arsonist and annoying. I was hoping the gun goes off and kills her but it did not happen. Shame. No explanation of the father.

5) The fat guy who goes from nice to crazy after a few drinks. Also, who buys panties, bra, toothbrush for any self respecting woman you just went out with ONCE and expect marriage? He does.

6) The massage parlour baldy. He beat the pulp out of fat guy but surely the police would have taken statements and blood work would have been administered at the hospital

7) The Thai who went to Sweden and back. He supposedly had or have a thing with crazy Mom but never explained. He only have one expression so I can never tell if he was happy/ sad/ angry/ grimacing etc. Then the weird shooting of an elephant who ran away during a fire, unhurt.

9) His son, who managed a love relationship with teenage Swedish when they do not have a common spoken language.

Other bits includes insensitivities towards Thai/ Asian culture (too many to list); crazy Mom saying horrendous things, one that really stick was after the tsunami that she do not care about others who died or barely surviving. Cliché fillers of underwater shots and random Thai shots which is more for nostalgia than anything.

All in all, if you read this, believe me you are better off watching paint dry than waste your time on this. The acting horrible, the directing (ought to be shot), the storyline and plot so full of holes making it implausible and overall manage to make all Swedes look like some bitter, angst fill crazy nutjobs which they are not (I have Swedish friends, have to ask them what they think about this show). Ugh!