Snabba Cash

Snabba Cash is a snappy, punchy reboot of a series of popular films from Sweden that followed several characters as they did whatever they could to reach the top of capitalist success. This spin-off series offers an updated version of the story through an inclusive lens. Instead of Joel Kinnaman leading the story, as was the case in the film version, Ahmad leads as a female entrepreneur doing her best to stay financially afloat as she pursues startup success. Not only is Ahmad shaking up the Snabba Cash film series as a female protagonist, but she's also of Middle Eastern descent, as are other characters in the series, including Salim (Abdallah), a wedding singer and gang member. Fungula Bozela rounds out the main cast as Ravy, the gang leader Salim affiliates himself with. Shifting the focus to Sweden's actors of color keeps the story contemporary with Hollywood's changing tides.

The edgy, stylistic nature of the series also backs up the hardcore storyline. A cinéma vérité style of filming makes viewers feel as if they're briskly following the characters who are trying to chase the next big thing. The viewers are made to feel like they can't keep up with the characters' obsessed focus on money and power, and it helps sell the idea that these characters are too narrowly-focused on their pursuits, to the point of failing to check in with their own emotional needs. Case in point: Sailm shoots a rival gang member and the moment haunts him. As the deaths keep piling up, Salim becomes more mentally unstable. But instead of confiding in Ravy, who offers a listening ear, Salim chooses to self-medicate with cocaine. While the series' dissection of the failures of capitalism is intriguing -- such as pointing out that the allure of capitalism can force people to extreme ends to achieve a false feeling of security through material gain -- it's also a lot to stomach at once. This unease is partly because of the filming style, but mostly because of the amount of violence. Seeing how America is still in the throes of suffering from a gun violence epidemic, including mass shootings, it's shocking and triggering to see shootings happen in public places in Snabba Cash, such as a populated shopping mall. But once you get past the show's penchant for up-close shooting scenes, the themes about the dangers of capitalism are interesting to ruminate on.