Based on a true story, the crime drama series The Breakthrough follows the second-largest criminal investigation in Swedish history. In the early 2000s, the small city of Linköping was rocked by a double homicide in broad daylight. Two people — a child and a woman in her late 50s — were stabbed to death. But with no motive or suspect, the case eventually grew cold. Nearly two decades later, the police made headway after a genealogist entered the fray. Starring Peter Eggers and Mattias Nordkvist, the series was directed by Lisa Siwe (The Bridge) and written by Oskar Söderlund (Snabba Cash). “Though this is a fictional drama series about a crime, it is, above all, a depiction of a human tragedy — where we place our focus on the victims and the investigation rather than the perpetrator,” Siwe told Netflix. “It’s a story about the compassion and care for one another that is needed to move on when terrible things happen.”
Who’s in the cast of The Breakthrough?
- Peter Eggers (Snabba Cash) as John
- Mattias Nordkvist (Deliver Me) as Per
- Jessica Liedberg (Riding in Darkness) as Francy
- Jonatan Rodriguez (Gåsmamman) as Miran
- Karin de Frumerie (A Man Called Ove) as Lollo
- Annika Hallin (Agent Hamilton) as Karin
- Julia Sporre (Shame on Dry Land) as Stina
- Malin Güettler (Flamingo) as Annika
- Anna Azcárate (Red Dot) as Gunilla
- Marley Norstad (Ghabe) as Adnan
- Pevin Hannah Namek Sali as Maya
- Helen Al-Janabi (Top Dog) as Elena
- Bahador Foladi (Tehran) as Saad
- Julius Fleischanderl (The Sandhamn Murders) as Ante
- Per Burell (Rebecka Martinsson) as Kjell
- Emelie Falk (Greyzone) as Anna
- Magnus Mark (Thin Ice) as Björn
What happens in The Breakthrough?
On Oct. 19, 2004, 8-year-old Adnan (Norstad) and 56-year-old Gunilla (Azcárate) are murdered in broad daylight in Linköping, Sweden. The only witness, a woman named Karin (Hallin) who’d been biking nearby, is unable to identify the suspect before he flees. As investigators pursue the case with scant evidence, dogged detective John (Eggers) remains determined to track down the killer. After the search efforts lead to multiple dead-ends, the case is left unsolved, and Adnan’s and Gunilla’s families are left without justice in their loved ones’ deaths. But 16 years later, a genealogist named Per (Nordkvist) sheds light on the killer’s identity — and makes history in the process.
Is The Breakthrough based on a book?
Yes. It’s based on the book of the same name by journalist Anna Bodin and the genealogist Peter Sjölund.
“When I read the book The Breakthrough, I was struck by the fact that there was such strong human destinies behind this massive murder investigation: Police officers who refuse to give up, relatives who wanted answers and last but not least the genealogist who finally came up with the solution,” Söderlund, who penned the screenplay, told Netflix. “In the midst of this tragedy, there are people who refuse to give up, who’re struggling to move on and whose whole life is marked by what happened.”
Is The Breakthrough based on a true story?
Yes. It’s a fictional account based on the 2004 double homicide of Mohammed Ammouri and Anna-Lena Svensson. The murders were unsolved for 16 years, until ancestral DNA genealogy led to a break in the case.
Where does The Breakthrough take place?
The series takes place in Linköping, Sweden, beginning in 2004.
