A Life’s Worth, on Viaplay

During the Vietnam War, Sen. John McCain received even harsher treatment then his fellow POW’s when their North Vietnamese Communist captors learned his father was a very senior Admiral. Unfortunately, Mikael Forss, the son of the Swedish Defense Minister, finds himself in a similar position when his squad is captured during the UN’s 1993 Bosnia “peace-keeping” deployment. Supposedly, their mission is re-opening the Mario Road supply line, but their day-to-day objectives are dangerously vague in writer-creators Mona Masri & Oliver Dixon’s six-episode A Life’s Worth, based on Magnus Ernstrom’s autobiographical novel, which is now streaming on Viaplay.

The military is only supposed to be a stepping stone for Forss, on his way to a position in the diplomatic corps and then a political career. At least that is what his father tells him. However, service in Bosnia is much more difficult than he or anyone else expected, except maybe their strict but conscientious commander, Col. Andreasson. Shocked by the death of their APC leader on their first mission, Forss reluctantly accepts the promotion to be his successor, even though he lacks confidence. Frankly, Andreasson probably should have picked the Serbian-speaking Babic. He usually does not make decisions based on politics, and he certainly resist such thinking in later episodes.

Regardless, Forss has his hands full with his APC crew. Kilpinen gets hooked on morphine self-medicating his injuries, but he seeks redemption by helping Eldin, a Muslim father, find his daughter lost after the Croatian HVO’s massacre of their Stupni Do village. Meanwhile, Strand falls for Alma, a Croatian cafeteria worker, whose family will be menaced by both Serbian militias and Bosniak paramilitaries augmented by Mujahideen.

It is painfully clear the combatants have little fear of the peacekeepers and no respect. They call them “Smurfs”’ in [dis]honor of their blue helmets. Viewers quickly see why. The first time Forss’s APC encounters war crimes in progress, HQ tells him to act on his own discretion. This is clearly a coded invitation to retreat, without using so many words.

Indeed, Life’s Worth suggests there is good reason the American military rarely places ground troops under UN command (but we sometimes contribute advisors and staff officers). Neither the objectives or the rules of engagement are ever clearly established for any of the APC crew’s operations, except perhaps Andreasson’s Stupni Do rescue mission, which they volunteer for. “Going out and just doing your best” is not something you can wargame and that’s a long-term problem.

Indeed, Masri, Dixon, and series director Ahmed Abdullahi do an excellent job portraying the Swedish military, up and down the chain of command. Much of the Balkan characterization is more simplistic. There appears to be a conscious effort to depict atrocities on all three sides. Yet, the Bosnian Muslims probably emerge with the least to answer for, while the Croatians, like Alma, are arguably the easiest former Yugoslavian characters to relate to.

As Andreasson, Johan Rheborg (who also starred in the vaguely Agatha Christie-related series Hjerson) is both the series’ anchor and the tip of its spear. He portrays the Colonel as a man worthy of command, even though he increasingly resents the political constraints placed on his mission. Likewise, Maxwell Cunnigham, Toni Prince, Edvin Ryding, and Erik Edge all create very distinct personas for the APC crew, who we can all recognize as very young men under extreme pressure.

A Life’s Worth is an eye-opening military drama that suggests a need for in-depth study of peacekeeping missions, with the intent of codifying best practices. Watching the series leads to the conclusion there is wisdom to our arm’s length approach to UN peacekeeping. Regardless, it vividly illustrates the sacrifices demanded of young enlisted soldiers. Very highly recommended, A Life’s Worth is now streaming on Viaplay.