Danish writer Ingeborg Topsøe discusses her debut Netflix series 'Secrets We Keep,' a thriller exploring privilege and class in affluent Copenhagen, which has garnered 40 million viewers worldwide since its May 15 launch. The show is a contender for the Nordic Series Script Award at Göteborg's TV Drama Vision on January 27. Topsøe draws from her upbringing to challenge Denmark's egalitarian image through the story of a missing Filipino au pair.
Ingeborg Topsøe, a graduate of the UK's National Film & Television School, marks her first full TV series as creator-writer with Netflix's 'Secrets We Keep' (original Danish title: 'Reservatet'). The six-part thriller, co-written by Ina Bruhn and Mads Tafdrup and directed by Per Fly for Uma Film and Netflix, premiered on May 15 and topped charts in 28 countries, attracting around 40 million viewers globally.
Set in a wealthy Copenhagen suburb, the series follows Cecilie (Marie Bach Hansen), a successful businesswoman and mother, whose life unravels when her neighbors' Filipino au pair goes missing. Alongside her own au pair Angel, Cecilie investigates amid police indifference, confronting her 'white privilege,' racist neighbors Rasmus and Katarina (Danica Curcic), and family dynamics. The cast includes Simon Sears, Lars Ranthe, Sara Fanta Traore as emotional police officer Aicha, and newcomers Excel Busano and Donna Levkovski as the au pairs.
Inspired by Topsøe's childhood with au pairs—now predominantly Filipino (80%) in Denmark—the show critiques outsourced intimacy and power imbalances in 'egalitarian' homes. 'These upstairs-downstairs homes exist in Denmark, but I’ve never seen them portrayed on Danish television,' Topsøe told Variety. She positions it as 'anti-Nordic Noir,' favoring lush, domestic suspense over cold aesthetics, influenced by 'Big Little Lies' for its community and police elements.
Topsøe, known for contributions to 'The Charmer' (2017), 'Wildland' (2020), and Amazon's Emmy-nominated 'Hanna,' emphasizes suspense with social commentary on class, ethnicity, and misogyny. The ending, which some viewers found unsatisfying, delivers a 'haunting' resonance without full justice, as Topsøe intended. No second season is planned. Next, she collaborates on feature 'Ghosts' with director Milad Alami, presenting at Göteborg.
