Bullshit, on Viaplay, is a dramatic Danish series based on true events during the Copenhagen Biker War between the Hell’s Angels and the Bullshit Motorcycle Club in the 1980’s. The story follows Bullshit’s first president, Henning “Mackerel” Knudsen (Marco Ilsø) and his wife, Pia Larsen (August Alba) through the early years of the Bullshit Motorcycle Club, when they were fighting the Hell’s Angels for control of the drug trade in Copenhagen. Henning and Pia are 18 and 16, respectively, when they meet. Both are lost souls searching for belonging and family, which they find in the gang. The series alternates between chaotic violence and meditative sequences focusing on the characters’ inner lives, and there is a pervasive feeling of doom that builds as the episodes pass.
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Christiana
In the 1970’s, and remaining today, an intentional community and anarchist commune was created called Christiana, founded by squatters in a defunct military base. It was well-known as a place to buy drugs, in a main thoroughfare called “Pusher Street”. In the 1980’s, the biker gangs tried to gain control of Pusher Street, with the Bullshit Motorcycle Club taking over for a few years. Residents of Christiana were deeply unhappy with biker gangs hanging around. When Pia arrives in Copenhagen, she seeks out Christiana, and you will hear it referred to throughout the series.
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Henning and Pia
There’s no way around this: Henning is kind of an idiot. He has a kind heart and is relatively charming, but is definitely a screw-up with a nose for trouble. He and his friend Johnny (Magnus Juhl Andersen) desperately want to join the local biker gang, the Filthy Few. They offer to steal a TV for the gang, but it goes head-shakingly sideways. Nonetheless, they are welcomed into the gang. Later, Henning is voted president of a newly-formed gang, the Bullshit Motorcycle Club, overseeing both riotous parties and deadly violence. Pia is a reticent teen who leaves her dysfunctional family and seeks out a life in Christiana. She and Henning hit it off, and they get married in a heartfelt beach celebration. As the series progresses, we see both Pia and Henning’s confidence grow yet their innocence and idealism fade. There’s no doubt that Henning loves Pia, but as she is drawn toward a tamer life, a rift grows between them.
Our take on bullshit
The creators of Bullshit utilize several approaches to elevate the series. The cinematography is almost a character of its own. The documentary style hand-held camera work puts the audience in the middle of the violent and intimate scenes almost like you are seeing through another character’s eyes. At times Bullshit seems realistic, and at other times dreamy. Each episode is set several months after the last, which establishes the characters’ arcs expediently. And the performances are amazing. Both Marco Ilsø and August Alba, who won awards for their roles, make you root for their characters. You’ll notice that there are a lot of plot points missing, such as the actual drug selling by the gang, and we don’t really see Henning do any leading. I suspect the real Henning and Pia were a lot rougher around the edges too, but that’s not really the point. Bullshit is an exhilarating and emotional period piece, love story, and coming-of-age tale that happens to be about an outlaw society.
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