Polestar 3 – the perfect car for a high-stakes dystopian apocalypse
The latest Scandi-noir series Vaka premiered last month on Amazon Prime Video. Look closely and you may spot a couple of familiar silhouettes in the background. We visited the set to find out why Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 were a natural fit for a city on the brink of dystopian upheaval.
A pristine black SUV pulls up outside a high-end apartment block. A man is hurried into the back seat before the car accelerates away. It would feel almost routine, if not for the screaming, the chaos — and the “unslept”.
Moments later, a voice calls “cut”. Cast and crew reset. Car included. We’re on location in Stockholm for the filming of Vaka, a Scandinavian thriller that blends post-pandemic anxiety with a high-stakes, insomnia-fuelled descent into disorder.
Starring rising talents Frida Argento and Malte Gårdinger, fresh from the global success of Young Royals, alongside established names Jonas Karlsson and Gizem Erdogan, Vaka explores what happens when a society loses its ability to sleep. It’s a show that immediately (and quite literally) plunges us into a frozen landscape in one of the world’s northernmost capital cities. Sounds intense? That’s Vaka.
[Polestars] are cool. It feels modern.
Scandi-noir in the headlights
Scandinavia has spent the past two decades refining the atmospheric thriller. Long winters, limited daylight and uncompromising landscapes provide a natural backdrop for tension. While the environment may at times be unforgiving, it also plays a major role in shaping the region’s design language. Chunky sweaters. Ant chairs. Tree hotels. This is design shaped by climate and atmosphere. And that’s before we even get to the cars.
“[Polestars] are cool. It feels modern,” says BAFTA-nominated director Henrik Georgsson, explaining the importance of choosing the right vehicles for the production. Georgsson is no stranger to the genre. His work on The Bridge helped define the Scandi-noir wave that continues to resonate globally. “It gives quality to the series. That sci-fi feeling.”
That sense of modernity carried through on set. For many onlookers, the Polestar vehicles proved an unexpected focal point, particularly as filming took place ahead of Polestar 3’s market launch. “People were taking pictures when we drove through the city because the car wasn’t released yet,” says Argento. “That was fun.”
Different characters have different needs. But for this story, the Prime Minister should be driving a cool car. That’s where Polestar came in.
SUV fit for a Prime Minister
Back outside the central Stockholm location, the crew prepares for another take. More chase scenes. More controlled chaos. But when the camera starts rolling, subtle differences between characters come into focus. Everything is purposeful — there by design. “Different characters have different needs. But for this story, the Prime Minister should be driving a cool car. That’s where Polestar came in,” explains first assistant director Jon Are Uhnger, on the decision to give Karlsson’s character a Polestar 3.
This idea of building characters from the ground up — using every interaction and every prop as a narrative device — is also shared by producer Frida Wallman of Unlimited Stories. “Being able to use Polestar as one of our character cars was a perfect fit. Its modern look and feel align seamlessly with the series’ visual expression.”
So, there you have it. Cool car. Leading man. But will it be enough to save the Swedish Prime Minister from what’s coming next? We’ll have to watch and find out. Just don’t fall asleep first.
