'Anxious People' review: Compassion saves the day in Netflix mini-series 

Netflix's latest release, Anxious People, is the perfect police-drama to binge-on right before the new year.

Directed by Felix Herngren with a script by Calila Ahlgren, Anxious People follows a failed bank robber who finds refuge in an open house, along with a real estate agent, IKEA addicts, a pregnant woman, a bank manager and a rabbit. The mini-series is an adaptation of Fredrik Backman's novel of the same name and stars Leif Andree, Marik Lager Crantz, Lottie Ejebrant, Per Andersson, Anna Grant, and Elina Du Rietz.

Note: This article contains spoilers.

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'Anxious People': Detailed review

Netflix's Anxious People is adapted from Swedish native Fredrik Backman's novel of the same name. The author is well known for interweaving events and incidences together to produce a captivating tale.

The dark comedy, Anxious People, sheds light on the unlikely connections humans share and the plot is inspired by a real-life experience shared by eight different people hunting for an apartment. As exhausting and time-consuming as their day was, a masked thug makes matters worse. While busy viewing one particular property, the group finds itself in a hostage situation. The fugitive with an attempted robbery at a cashless bank seeks refuge at this open house.

Since the criminal was a rookie, the hostage situation is pretty relaxed, and the buyers let themselves be comfortable. They all chat and understand each other's background, feeling somewhat privileged enough to even make some lunch for themselves. However, their bubble bursts when the cops make their way into the house, looking for the assailant who disappeared into thin air.

The questioning begins which gives viewers a chance to get to know each character. Every episode in Anxious People unravels a victim's backstory, viewed through their eyes and how they ended up at the open house. This division is rather interesting as the storylines don't seem forced and allow viewers to draw their own conclusions about the mystery robber.

The protagonists, Jack and his father Jim, slowly piece together the story from the loopholes found in every witness's account of events, which sometimes differed and conflicted with the initial information. This also creates confusion as well as a lack of basis for prosecution.

A married couple that lacked passion, a gay couple seeking a new space for their growing family and a bank manager mesmerized by the pictures in the apartments are brought together in Anxious People. It also sheds light on how people can easily spill their darkest secrets to complete strangers if no judgment is involved.

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What does Netflix's 'Anxious People' do right?

Towards the end, viewers will see that several unlikely bonds are formed amongst the group, showing how close and relatable humans are to each other despite being completely different. Anxious People's design of the narrative plays an integral role as it makes the individual stories more exciting and engaging. The comedy-drama also handles the anxieties of one's daily life better than the plot of the crime itself.

Anxious People also addresses the topic of nepotism, as Jack is determined to show how much he deserves the job and did not get it because of his father, while on the other hand Jim is more focused on his drug addict daughter. The father-son duo is seen grappling with their professional and personal lives, which acts as a push to move the plot forward.

As the series moves forward, it also dives deeper into the tragic suicide witnessed by a young Jack which left his adult life traumatized, as seen at the beginning of Episode 1. Anxious People also sheds light on the damaging effects of the financial crisis and how grief affects humans. All these themes are perfectly woven together, connecting everything towards the end.

The plots are very detailed to make it easier for the viewer to understand, the storyline is excellently written, the theme is relatable, the performances are great and the cinematography is captivating. However, few things may have gotten lost in translation since it's a Swedish series with English subtitles.

Anxious People is now available to stream on Netflix.