Terribly Happy

A Copenhagen police officer reassigned to Skarrild as the village's sole lawman. Fresh from therapy after a breakdown, he longs to return to his daughter and a normal life. He is introspective, morally torn, and quickly finds that the town’s private code clashes with official duty. His attempts to protect Ingelise pull him deeper into a web of guilt and complicity.

Ingelise's abusive husband, a heavy drinker whose aggression triggers the tragedy at the heart of the village. His presence and subsequent fate become the catalyst for the town’s whispered justice. He embodies the toxic social dynamics that push people toward private punishment rather than formal law.

A victim of marital abuse who insinuates herself into Robert's life, seeking protection and sometimes exploiting the situation for leverage. Her actions pull Robert deeper into the town’s web of secrets. She is both vulnerable and instrumental in driving the moral tension of the story.

The local doctor who becomes a quiet guardian of the town’s secrets, pushing for a discreet resolution to avoid scandal. He influences the narrative by declaring the death a cardiac arrest, protecting the community from outside scrutiny. His involvement exposes how professional discretion can uphold collective silence over truth.

The Tonder chief who relocates Robert and later weighs the possibility of a cover-up. He represents formal authority, yet his stance is swayed by the town’s unspoken consensus. His presence underscores the tension between institutional power and local complicity.

A local figure who witnesses and participates in Skarrild’s quiet social order. Her conversations with Robert reveal how intimate knowledge of the town’s dynamics can shield or expose others. She embodies the everyday complicity that keeps the town’s code intact.

The village priest who provides moral guidance while echoing the townspeople’s judgments. He hints at collective guilt and the danger of letting public opinion govern private lives. He functions as a symbolic anchor for faith and communal discipline.