Some years ago was the world obsessed with Marie Kondo. To some extent, even after maximalism is back after the COVID-19 pandemic, people are still obsessed with the teachings of the Japanese tidying guru — even though being tidy isn’t always a priority for her — and discuss whether the most simple objects bring joy back into their lives by existing in their space.
Self-help books have been a big market for those looking to tap into the creative energy that comes with tidying up, offer advice on how to exercise their demons through feng shui, or figure out how to get their finances — and lives — back on track. get by first fixing up their house. Whether it is Strange eye or Marie Kondo, America has been obsessed with this form of entertainment for some time now. The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing is another entry into the “cluttering up” saga and offers a cultural insight into Sweden transplanted to the United States.
The limited series is inspired by a book of the same name by Margareta Magnusson. The non-fiction book was a huge success when it was released and provided insight into how one could physically and mentally clean up their life to get closer to where they want to be. Much of it is also about grief – the author wrote about losing her husband and what it meant to go through his objects and finally let go of the life they had when he was alive. Now the television series is produced by Amy Poehler (who also narrates the episodes) and Scout Productions. One of the show’s many executive producers is Magnusson himself.
The series focuses on eight people and attempts to capture the spirit of the philosophy behind the cleanse of death, using three Swedes who come to the United States to help people on their journey. At 60 minutes, each episode manages to be relatively binge-worthy, making it a weekend watch for those looking to start over, or a healthy dose of escapism. Whether it’s grief or letting go of the past life you once had before you grew old, The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing has something for everyone in the series and reminds us of what really matters at the end of our lives.
Weeding through possessions and memories
Consisting of eight episodes, The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing spotlights one person in each episode. Each individual brings their baggage to the table when it comes to their life and their circumstances, but there is one thing that unites everyone: they have a lot of junk around the house. The average American may own many objects, more than most others in the world, but it wouldn’t be great television if those selected for this show didn’t have a collection.
Set in Kansas City, the first episode focuses on a 75-year-old woman named Suzi who specifically collects sexual souvenirs from around the world. That sets the tone for what’s to come in the later episodes featuring an eclectic group of strangers who will become familiar faces by the end of their time on the show.
Frequent viewers of this genre will recognize the setup: three Swedes, fresh off the plane from Sweden, arrive in the United States to meet those they are going to try to help. They have the subject of each episode try to get their things together so that one day, when they die, their loved ones don’t have to deal with their collections.
There’s Johan, who deals with the design side of things when you go through your worldly possessions. Katarina is a trained psychologist who sits down with the subjects of each episode to sift through their mental clutter and talk about what’s important to them in the future. Finally, the trio is completed by Ella, who is named the organizer of the group. She goes ahead and decides what is useful from one’s belongings.
Cleaning dead
As one of the Swedes, Johan, says in the first episode: if you don’t sort out your things, life starts to feel heavier. These philosophical musings interject throughout the episodes of the series, and as the camera lingers more on conversations than actual actions, providing an insight into the lives of the people portrayed on screen.
Whether it’s cancer, the loss of a loved one or the abandonment of an exciting childhood, people are seen everywhere The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing having something that weighs them down with the objects they hold and hold. While audiences don’t understand much about the actual cleaning part of the process, there is a psychological journey going on throughout each episode.
And despite the connotation that this is all for the elderly preparing to die, to make sure their relatives don’t have to painstakingly sift through all their belongings when they’re gone, The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing sells the fact that this is for everyone. Whether a person is a young adult or in their 70s, this method really can be used by anyone of any age to improve their quality of life.
They appear in The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing come from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, which shows that there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all method of dealing with this. The issues feel distinctly American, though, and, as some familiar with the genre might notice, there are also obvious tropes repeated throughout this television show, which can be good or bad depending on who’s watching.
The televised art of tidying up
There have been many predecessors The gentle art of Swedish death cleansingincluding the will of Hamsters, taking your junk to the limit and broadcasting it across all levels, and Marie Kondo, who captured the hearts of millions after appearing on a Netflix show. In the world of television tidying and cleaning, there is tough competition, and The gentle art of Swedish death cleansingdespite its impressive background history in Sweden and relevant message, may not stand out when it comes to the rest.
In the lost art of tidying up, one can only go so far with content, forcing innovation to survive as an entertaining series. This series feels passive and understated, sometimes too comfortable with the tone and pace it sets from the start. In eight episodes, everything begins to blur together in a formulaic approach that becomes repetitive.
On the one hand, Poehler’s narration feels shocking and unnecessary at times, with commentary that tries a little too hard to be humorous. Another major issue that persists throughout the series is pacing. While the subjects are certainly interesting and compelling people, there simply isn’t enough steam to keep the episodes going for an hour.
As entertaining as it may be to watch the Swedish team sit and have a coffee break, chatting about uniquely American mannerisms and whoever they’re working that day, it feels like forced padding and incitement to how the Swedish team quote- un-quote so different. These moments come across as meta in a way that mocks the American guests, but it also unmistakably marks them as something un-American or just plain foreign.
The need to need less
Ultimately, that may undermine their tactics as an oddity, something that should only be consumed as a form of entertainment, even if the methods and reasoning are quite logical. These forced interactions and dialogues start to feel heavily orchestrated at certain points in the series, making the atmosphere feel more artificial and insincere. It reads like television entertainment that wants to be philosophical but hasn’t reached its full potential through the methods that got us to this point. Considering how little Americans probably know about Sweden, its culture and its entertainment, that could have possibly led into uncharted territory.
Still, despite its shortcomings, there’s something endearing about the heart of shows like The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing. There are many reasons why Marie Kondo became a big name after her TV show and book came out, which inspired many new trends in minimalism. People just started to realize what really mattered and decided that clutter and objects didn’t satisfy them versus real relationships and experiences.
As corny as the jokes and scenarios associated with the projects may be, there are many people like those depicted on The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing. And perhaps there’s an element of escapism in all of this too – many viewers dream of a world where they too can clean up their lives and start over.
The gentle art of Swedish death cleansing releases on Peacock’s streaming platform on April 27, 2023.