The story of Eva Arulf (Tuva Novotny) is pretty straightforward: she met a man, fell in love, and decided to have his child. Just not in that order.
It’s not that she doesn’t believe in love, exactly. She loves her friends, she loves her job at Sweden’s biggest museum, she even loves her mother despite the occasional awkward conversation. She has strong opinions about female autonomy and the oppressive nature of weddings, but she’s not pushy about them. Everything is going along fine, and she’d like to keep it that way. Love is just a bit too… random to fit into her life (plus, it exploits women).
She’s someone who, when her annoying boss falls down a flight of stairs, injuring himself and putting her in line for his job, complains that this amazing opportunity doesn’t fit her “five-year plan”. As she puts it, “I know I can’t plan everything, I just want to push things in the right direction. I can’t just go around hoping things will happen.”
Life takes an unexpected turn for Eva (Tuva Novotny). Credit: Ragna Jorming / Viaplay
Which is why this Swede is making the trip to Copenhagen to visit a fertility clinic. All and Eva is a dramedy that’s not afraid to stretch things a little to get a laugh (there’s a memorably odd not-a-job-interview conversation in a bathroom for one), but her trip is a plot point that’s based in reality. In Sweden the sperm donor system is free, but it’s also a public system where they give out no information whatsoever on the donor. On the other hand, in Denmark it’s private – and if you’re willing to pay, you can choose your donor and find out a whole lot about them. You’re just not supposed to meet them.
As previously established, Eva is not someone who likes to leave things to chance. What if her mystery donor is an axe-murderer? Suddenly she’s got her friends telling her that trauma can be passed down genetically and she’s seeing newspaper headlines like “1% OF DANES HAVE PSYCHOPATHIC TRAITS – MOST ARE MEN”. By the time she gets to the clinic, she’s made up her mind; the anonymous option is out, and personally choosing her donor – or as she puts it, “going on sperm tinder” – is the way to go.
Eva’s trip to Copenhagen is also the first (but not the last) time All and Eva really lets loose with the comedy. Whenever anything threatens to slip out of her control, suddenly Eva loosens up; she’s not exactly goofy, but there’s an endearing charm to the way she flails around when she’s out of her depth. In Sweden, she’s playing it straight while her friends get the laughs. In Denmark the roles are reversed and her softer, sillier side shines through.
Sissela Kyle as Eva's mother, Inger. Credit: Ragna Jorming / Viaplay
Those friends of hers take on a growing importance as the series progresses. Josefine (Sanna Sundqvist) and Nils (Jason 'Timbuktu' Diakité) are heading towards marriage using a “low arousal” approach to relationships (basically, speak softly, touch gently). James (Bengt Braskered) believes that love gives meaning to life, which is a problem because he can’t seem to find it. Eva’s mother Inger (Sissela Kyle) gradually discovers that maybe retirement isn’t quite as restful and relaxing as she thought it would be.
And while Eva’s decided to personally choose her donor, that’s not enough to put her mind at rest. The names the clinic gives to the donors might be fake, but the photos are real and it turns out you can find out quite a lot by doing an image search. Luckily for Eva, Mads (Joachim Fjelstrup) owns a bar, so meeting him isn’t a problem. And it turns out he’s not a psychopath with personality problems, or a traumatised wreck, or anything more than a handsome, charming, friendly man who wants to sell Danish beer to the Swedes. Mission accomplished, Eva gets pregnant and heads home.
Can Mads (Joachim Fjelstrup) and Eva (Tuva Novotny) make it all work out? Credit: Ragna Jorming / Viaplay
There’s one small problem. Three months later, Mads shows up in Sweden. Their one lengthy, increasingly drunken (on her part) conversation made quite an impression, and now he’s intrigued.
Eva might say she doesn’t believe in love, but this could be the start of a wonderful relationship - if the fact she’s already carrying his child doesn’t throw a spanner in the works.
All and Eva is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
All and Eva
series • drama • Danish
MA15+
series • drama • Danish
MA15+
MORE TO EXPLORE
'Hudson & Rex' are back for more feel-good crime fighting
