August

At Hillerska, August is the polished senior everyone seems to know, a cousin of Prince Wilhelm's who slides in as his guide to the school's unspoken rules and hierarchies. Charming, watchful, and eager to be liked by the right people, he presents himself as an easy friend while clearly keeping score of his own standing.

Malte Gårdinger plays August's charm as a performance you can almost see the seams of, which makes him fascinating rather than simply likable. The writing gives him real neediness under the polish, and Gårdinger lets small flickers of anxiety and calculation cross a face otherwise built for smiling.