The Congregation is an atmospherically dark and psychologically stimulating Nordic Noir series about a young woman who becomes entrapped in a religious cult in Sweden. The protagonist, Anna, enthrallingly portrayed by actress Alba August (A Thousand Hours), has a pure heart and a palpable naïveté, both of which lead her down a detrimental path. It is a captivating combination for a suspenseful-paced series in which viewers will simultaneously cringe at Anna’s choices and yet, due to the sophistication of the storytelling, completely understand. The temptation of walking into one’s own peril, in Anna’s case, leads to homicide.
When Anna moves to a neighboring Swedish town called Knutby in order to fully immerse herself into a church congregation she feels at home in, she ends up becoming a nanny for the pastor and his wife and wants nothing more than to serve God among their close-knit sect. After growing up without her mother, whose death occurred when Anna was a little girl, she finally feels the relief of having a seemingly safe place to belong.
Although things should be amazing from there, this is not the end of a fairy tale. It’s the beginning to Anna’s nightmarish journey, chock-full of people with mysterious motivations and a twisted undercurrent of sexual manipulations. Within the church community, there are subtle moves of deception as well as blatant displays of power. The brainwashing is obvious to viewers due to an omniscient vantage point, but only one character — the pastor’s wife, Kristina — seems resistant to the lures while Anna walks in blinded faith.
Based on Jonas Bonnier’s novel, Knutby, this scripted series is inspired by true-life incidents that were also explored in HBO’s documentary Pray, Obey, Kill. The Congregation effectively and emotionally explores what lures someone, at free will, to become willingly ensconced within a cult. And even more so, how complicated it all becomes in order for them to leave once the reality of the group’s intentions is revealed. Alba August (daughter of the famous director Bille August) sat down with MovieWeb to speak about The Congregation, which is now streaming in the U.S. for the first time, through Viaplay.
How Alba August Got Hooked On Belonging
From her home in Stockholm, August provided insight into what drew her to the role and, despite the inevitability of sensationalizing the real-life events, what she hopes viewers will take away from the series beyond enthralling, gripping television.
“It all started when I read a book, in Swedish, about a real-life woman, ‘the babysitter’ is what everyone called her,” explained August. “I read her story and I called my agent and I said, ‘We have to buy the rights to adapt this book’…“
August’s agent then discovered that a series was already in development with B-Reel Films and that the project would be based on Bonnier’s novel, not the book which she had been so drawn to. Unlike the book that August had read, which focused only on the nanny/babysitter, the series was going to explore the entire cult community in which real-life Sara Svensson had been entrapped.
August’s response remained excited and insistent, however. “Okay, then,” said the actor. “Well, I have to get in contact with them. I’m so obsessed with this story and this character.”
From there, they let the production company know of August’s firm interest. Their response was favorable, and they asked her to sign on to portray Anna. While “Anna” and all the names in the series were changed, the plot unfolds just as did the actual events.
August was delighted to be attached. “So, that’s how it all started,” she explained. “And, from there, we kind of developed the whole project. It was super cool because the producers were so curious and open to my thoughts on everything. I was super involved from the beginning, which was so nice.”
Alba August’s Attraction to the Knutby Role
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When asked what it was about the real-life character from Knutby that drew her to be so interested in the performance, August explained how she identified with the role. “She has this drive, and yet she’s too kind to the point that she wants to please everyone. She is super complex, and I was just fascinated by her. And, obviously, the other characters as well.”
Regarding her interest in the world of religious cults, August further revealed, “I’ve always been super interested in psychology — I even wanted to be a therapist when I was a kid — and how the human mind is and how we work and act together. I have always just been drawn to the idea of communities.” She continued:
“In a way, I think I have always dreamed of being a part of a group like that, of belonging to a community. It’s the longing of being a part of something, and I guess that comes from feeling alone, basically. I felt lonely as a kid, and I still do in a way, so I think I was dreaming of community and the idea was interesting.”
On whether she, herself, found that fulfillment of belonging, August nostalgically added, “I experienced community a bit when I went to theater school in Copenhagen in my early 20s, and even that, too, was like a sect. We felt like we were the most important people in the whole world, like what we were doing was magic. We felt like it was us against the world.”
It’s quite an interesting point for viewers to consider. Like Anna, don’t we all just want a place to belong? The thought alone normalizes the character’s initial intent, but August goes on to make it clear that this contemplation isn’t for the sake of a cult’s redemption.
The Pitfalls of Fitting In
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It’s staggering to realize how easily a group can be defined as a cult. Basically, it is a group of people united by shared beliefs about life. It requires leadership and deep commitment from its members.
How then, does it all become so tragic? What is the root of the flaw?
In addition to the real-life events that inspired The Congregation series, there are many infamous cults. There was the People’s Temple cult (or Jonestown), Scientology, The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and thousands more across the globe. With most having initially positive intentions, how does it so often go astray from that? What triggers the horror stories that we so often read about?
“I think this series is like a picture of how the human mind works. These kinds of sect communities will always exist in the world,” said August. “I think it’s impossible to get rid of them.” August notes the one universal fatal flaw in these cults, their common denominator: “People with power will always kind of misuse it. So this series is ultimately research on how maybe we can all learn from that.”
While The Congregation is a highly intriguing series meant for viewers’ entertainment, August added a conscientious reminder about the intended takeaway of the production, the actual people on which the story is based.
“I want to give the people who were involved justice, in some way,” noted August, “especially my character […] She went through so much and I just hope that this can give her, if it’s possible, in a way, her life back.”
The Congregation was adapted for the screen by Fredrik Agetoft and also stars Aliette Opheim (Black Crab) and Elinar Bredefeldt (Dystopia). It made its U.S. premiere on May 11th exclusively on the streaming platform Viaplay, the Nordic home for dark, thrilling, and psychologically penetrating content including scripted crime series and true-crime documentaries.
