Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s ‘Billionaire Island’ takes place in a remote coastal town known as Brima, Norway, where two rival fishing companies – Marlax and Meyer Fjordbruk – engage in a battle of wills to determine who becomes the leading producer of Atlantic salmon in the world. Out near the town’s coast, massive fish farms line its waters, offering a unique insight into Norway’s cutthroat fishing industry. The island community plays a pivotal role in facilitating the corporate drama about ambition, greed, betrayal, and dysfunctional family ties. Meanwhile, some key scenes between the two companies occur at the Brima Hotell, where tense business dealings come to light. Therefore, both the island and the hotel elevate themselves as significant backdrops in the complex drama of family businesses. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Brima is a Scenic Fishing Island With Loose Ties in Reality
The island town of Brima in ‘Billionaire Island’ is a fictional Norwegian locality that was crafted by Anne Bjørnstad, Levi Dubland, Jadranko Mehic, and Eilif Skodvin while drafting the screenplay. The town has a quaint vibe with stunning views of the seas, where fishing is the primary source of food and sustenance for the locals. Owing to its isolated existence, Brima exists in a bubble of its own, with two giant salmon companies dominating its news and media cycles. While the island town may not be real per se, the production crew utilized the island of Frøya in Trøndelag, Norway, to stand in for their fictional primary setting. It is the westernmost municipality in Trøndelag county, with a small population and the type of stunning access to the sea that made it suitable for Brima’s fish-centric industrial town.
The municipality is known to have small fishing communities on the large island of Frøya, a marked interest that is shared with the town in ‘Billionaire Island.’ Brima creates a unique dynamic in the series as viewers are presented with an unassuming town host to major events surrounding two influential companies. However, in doing so, it provides an authentic glimpse into top-rung agricultural industries operating in small towns and how they impact the community’s well-being as a result. While the townsfolk are busy with their own quiet lives, massive forces are at work in the halls of Marlax and Meyer Fjordbruk, determining the course of global seafood exports. Despite the island’s connection to Frøya and its narrative importance, Brima is a fictional municipality that does not exist.
Brima Hotell: A Fictional Hotel Witness to Major Business Deals
A significant location in the fictional town of Brima is Brima Hotell, the establishment where several vital talks and discussions occur between Marlax and Meyer Fjordbruk members. Like the island town itself, it is a fictional hotel conceived by Anne Bjørnstad, Levi Dubland, Jadranko Mehic, and Eilif Skodvin. As Brima is a small municipality, the hotel is depicted as one of its major attractions, where foreigners and locals alike commute to have a night out or a small vacation. It is a prestigious establishment reserved only for the elite, as it hosts the final general assembly talk for Meyer Fjordbruk’s eventual takeover.
Filming for the hotel’s scenes likely took place in an establishment in Frøya, in the Norwegian county of Trøndelag, as the island town doubles up as Brima in the series. The hotel’s interiors are often flush with people, suggesting that it is a well-run establishment availed by many. Hence, it makes sense why it is picked as the hosting ground for the general assembly talks for the future management of Meyer Fjordbruk. Its prominence in the narrative is highlighted through its recurring nature as a backdrop within the show’s scenes. However, it remains confined to the realms of fiction as it cannot be traced to reality.
Read More: Billionaire Island: Is the Netflix Show Inspired By a True Story?
