Diksha Sundriyal
Helmed by Kasper Barfoed, Netflix’s ‘A Couple of Lies’ (originally titled ‘Bytet’) unravels a shocking series of mysterious and violent events in the aftermath of a home swap. The Swedish psychological thriller series begins with two couples on vacation, intending to have a fun and relaxing time. Helene and Carl give their Stockholm house to Scarlett and Adam. At the same time, the Sicilian villa of the latter pair becomes the temporary residence of Helene and Carl. However, over the next few days, they discover unnerving things about one another, rewriting the equations of both marriages. The show builds a tense atmosphere that feels even more thrilling thanks to the realistic nature of its characters. SPOILERS AHEAD.
A Couple of Lies is Adapted From a Novel That’s Inspired by a Missed Opportunity
‘A Couple of Lies’ is a fictional story adapted from the thriller novel, ‘Bytet’ by Stefan Ahnhem. It has been developed for the screen by Amanda Högberg and Axel Stjärne, in collaboration with Ahnhem. The author came up with the idea while considering a house swap of his own. In 2019, he and his family vacationed on the West Coast of America, where they rented a house. They’d loved their time there so much that they wished to go back. But this time, instead of renting, they wanted to try a house swap. The family has a summer house in the Stockholm archipelago, and they thought it would be an interesting thing to swap their house instead of renting or staying in a hotel. However, their plans were halted by the pandemic.
“At first we thought it would just last a few weeks and then we could do it, but as you know, it didn’t work out that way. So it became a book instead,” Ahnhem revealed. With his imagination sparked, the author thought back to his other Airbnb stays. He noted how different it feels to live in someone’s home rather than in a hotel. A house represents a person’s personality and can reveal some interesting things about its owner. During such stays, Ahnhem would pay attention to the minutest things, like the center table or the adornments on the wall, and consider the impressions they can create. This thought process led him to wonder what the worst-case scenario would be in case of a house swap. What happens when not only do you end up in a bad situation in someone else’s home, but also have that stranger with complete access to your home and your life?
A Couple of Lies Leans Towards Realism With the Characters and Locations
To create a more authentic environment, Stefan Ahnhem decided to stick with the settings familiar to him. So he placed his characters on the American West Coast and in the Stockholm archipelago. He confined the story to the two couples, intending to create “two chamber plays” by making them as distinct as possible. The author portrayed Carl as a businessman who comes across as cynical and crude, which makes the audience somewhat distrustful of him. Similarly, the artistic nature of Adam’s character makes him feel more approachable yet somewhat mysterious. In a similar sense, Ahnhem added twists of uncertainty to the arcs of Helene and Scarlett, so the audience never knows whom to trust in a setting that grows more puzzling by the minute.
“Are the characters manipulating each other, or are we, the readers, being gaslighted in a larger game? I fought hard to ensure that it was not just a static tableau, but rather a dynamic entity,” he added. The show’s writers endeavored to translate this intrigue to the screen, keeping the audience on edge and their heads spinning about what is really going on. Having said that, the adaptation called for some changes. For example, the show shifts the setting from America to the villa in Sicily, Italy. Certain other things had to be tweaked for dramatic purposes. However, at its core, ‘A Couple of Lies’ remains faithful to its source material, telling a riveting story with dramatic twists and turns while staying rooted in reality through its grounded premise and vivid characters.
Read More: A Couple of Lies Ending Explained: Who Killed Tom?
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