Some stories begin with a meet-cute, Norwegian series “Rebound” with a devastating break-up nobody saw coming.
Premiering at Canneseries, it sees Alex (Mathilde Storm), back from a holiday in Bali. She’s happy to see her on-again, off-again boyfriend Mikkel, even though things have been rocky between them. Alex’s hoping they can finally get back together, for good. Instead, he calls it quits – while they’re having sex, echoing one of “Sex and the City’s” most famous lines: “You are breaking up with me while you’re still inside of me?!”
“It was very important to be very honest, right from the start, and to ‘trick’ the viewer a little. You think this reunion’s going to be romantic and it’s the opposite. The first episode really captures what the whole show’s about,” says creator Melike Leblebicioglu Kaveh.
“Obviously, I’ve been through it as well. A big breakup was my first real trauma. You feel so isolated, things just spin out of control. It came from a personal place, for sure.”
In the show, Alex is devastated, but she doesn’t want to wallow. According to her friend Sara, she should forget about Mikkel and look for a rebound instead.
“It’s so common. Sometimes, you know you’re rebounding. Other times, we start projecting things onto someone, trying to turn them into what we need. Or what we think we need. But they have their own story and their own problems, and their own approach to relationships,” explains Kaveh.
“This ‘rebound’ can be your next true love. But most of the time, it’s a destructive way of avoiding pain you need to face. Still, it’s a great place to be for a creator, I think. And for a character.”
Storm is joined by Maria Wiik, Oddgeir Thune and Arjan Nilsen. Daniel Fahre directs, while Fenomen Studios produces for Null47. Beta Film handles sales and debuts a trailer, shared in exclusivity with Variety:
Kaveh’s no stranger to YA shows, having worked on “17” and “Norwegian-ish”.
“It’s important to assume their perspective and to talk to them, because things change a lot. I made something five years ago and their slang or the realities of dating are already so different. I’m almost 40 now, married with kids. I’m not going through the same things. I need to make sure they are specific for this generation,” she says.
That means even embracing new technologies. “It can be frustrating when you’re writing and all you want is for someone to knock on the door, but you know they’d be texting instead,” she laughs. “[With social media] you can try to isolate yourself, but you can’t – not really. You’ll stalk someone online, get jealous of other people. All without leaving your room.”
Kaveh didn’t mind the show’s ultra-short, few-minute long episodes.
“It makes the show concentrated and intense. It really brings something extra. There’s been a lot of research on how younger audiences like shorter videos, because they’re used to scrolling Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. It’s more appropriate for that age group – they like to watch something on the go. But, I mean, my parents scroll Instagram too.”
Despite her protagonists’ age, the show might speak to older viewers as well.
“The feelings that come with a breakup, they’re the same. It’s just the details that change,” she states.
“When you’re in the middle of it, it feels like your entire world is collapsing. Once you have some distance, you look back at it and see that what happened was for the best. As you get older, you know you’re going to get through it. After all, you already have in the past.”
Right now, Kaveh is open to exploring more mature subjects. “Maybe something closer to my own age and my own life situation. I’m also very interested in cultural identity, being Turkish in Norway. But I love interacting with younger viewers,” she admits.
“I was a writer on ‘17’ [2018-2021] and I still meet people who are watching it for the first time. We have a lot of discussions. When working on it, we would meet kids to talk about each season, ask what they liked and what they didn’t like. It’s a great way to work.”
“Rebound”
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