Black Crab

In the Swedish thriller “Black Crab”, a small group of soldiers are sent on a dangerous mission to ice-skate across enemy lines and deliver a mysterious cargo that could end a brutal war. While the story, based on Jerker Virdborg’s novel of the same name, is fictional, Sweden does have a specialized unit that trains to conduct covert operations in the harshest conditions, like what is shown in Black Crab.

In the lead role, Noomi Rapace’s innate fierceness and fragility shine as Caroline Edh, a speed skater turned soldier. Edh’s survival instincts are pushed to the limit when her daughter’s life is on the line, and she has to ask herself what she’s willing to sacrifice for the fate of the ongoing war. Rapace’s power radiates through her character because she wasn’t afraid to immerse herself into the role. As a mother, Rapace explored her own bond with her son to help power the unstoppable force driving Caroline’s search for her daughter. She also didn’t shy away from the challenge of performing in Sweden’s cold climate rather than in a synthetic studio environment. And even though her fierce, strong character was originally written as a man in the book, part of Rapace’s six-year dedication to the film’s development involved her and writer-director Adam Berg reimagining the lead role as a woman.

I had an accident early on in the film. I broke my nose on the movie, and we had to pause production because I had to heal. When I came back on set, I was scared. I was scared to be hurt again. I was scared because I felt like I lost all my training. I felt vulnerable. I felt fragile. And I had to ask for help. I’m 42 years old, and I don’t ask for help, and I came out of this, and I was like, ‘You know what? It’s really nice to feel like people are not going to punish you because you are scared or because you are overcoming fears in yourself. It’s okay to admit it and let other people help you and take care of you. And that never happens so that’s something I want to communicate. You’re not strong on your own. If you allow yourself to trust others, you might be surprised how much you get back. (Noomi Rapace)

As Rapace continues in a conversation with Netflix to promote the film, “I can read a script and be like, ‘I don’t want to play the female lead, but what about the male lead? I like that character more,’” Rapace says. “For so many years, the female roles were cute and pretty. they’re attractive and they’re likable. They’re so damn likable. I’m like ‘fuck likable,’” Rapace says. While the film released on Netflix in 2022 to mixed reviews, Rapace’s performance was praised – and it picked up three awards at the 2023 Guldbaggen Awards: Best Cinematography (Jonas Alarik), Best Visual Effects (Simon Sandrin), Best Set Designs (Linda Janson).