Page - 173 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/01

Natalie Fritz TV-Series Review HERRENS VEJE (RIDE UPON THE STORM), created by Adam Price DR 1, DK 2017–2018 “Today, in this country, it’s more difficult to confess one’s faith than talk about one’s favourite sex practices.” With these words, Johannes Krogh (Lars Mikkel- sen), the charismatic pastor of a parish in Greater Copenhagen, defends the right to believe and calls on his audience to stand up for their convictions just as, he claims, the Muslims across the road do. In this instance, he is speaking not to his congregants but, as a contender for the most prestigious position within the Evan- gelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, that of Bishop of Copenhagen, principal of the Marble Church. Even though his rhetoric was impeccable and his strong faith almost tangible, Krogh is not selected; the position is given instead to a younger woman, who in Krogh’s eyes – and later in his nightmares – has the grinning face of a devil. After being passed over for the promotion, he drinks until he is hardly able to walk and then has sex with the female assistant to the parish’s gardener in a shed somewhere on the grounds of the stately pastor’s house. Watching this sequence, the audience realises that this fascinating speaker, this man of God, has a serious problem: he is incapable of controlling his emotions. This drama series, although set in a Danish-Lutheran context, is less concerned with exploring the specific theology of the church or the daily routines of its cler- gy than with presenting unsettlingly complex questions about faith, religious orientation, rules and community in a globalised society. Although the setting of Herrens Veje is genuinely Danish, its universal relevance may help explain why screenwriter Adam Price’s second series for DR1, which comes after the highly acclaimed and award-winning Borgen (DR 1, DK 2010–2013), is also reaching a worldwide audience. DOI: 10.25364/05.06:2020.1.12 172 | Natalie Fritz www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 172–179