“[Halpern raises] the sort of universal questions that may cause us to lie awake at night: Are there parallel planes of existence? What would you do if you met yourself? If you had the chance to learn how long your life will be, would you want to find out?”
~ Matt Fagerholm, review of Tales from the Loop
Swedish digital artist Simon Stålenhag creates art primarily focused on “nostalgic Swedish and American countryside environments, with retro sci-fi elements.” His Tales from the Loop art book inspired writer Nathaniel Halpern to develop an eight-episode series by the same title, released on Prime Video back in April 2020. With our 1st Quarter 2025 Wrap Up on the theme of “Loving Art” rolling out and raising thought-provoking questions about art, it seemed like an apt moment to flag this five-year-old series.
The series is set in a fictional Ohio town that is home to an underground center for experimental physics known as “the Loop,” where government researchers seek to “make the impossible possible.” An enthusiastic reviewer at WIRED describes Tales from the Loop as “mesmerizing” and “unforgettable,” telling viewers to expect “tales of frozen time, traded lives, and parallel worlds, all brought to life by a fantastic cast and directors,” along with visuals that tap into the “sublime aesthetic” of Stålenhag’s art, including his juxtaposition of the rural and neofuturistic.
Not all reviewers enjoyed the show, with some describing its slow pace as boring. Others, however, enjoyed the tonal range—from the “overtly comedic” to the heartbreaking—and the reminder that “light can always be found in the darkness.”
Related:
Tales from the Loop (Wikipedia)
Simon Stålenhag (Wikipedia)
Amazon’s Tales from the Loop Aims to Break Your Heart
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