The town of Kiruna, Sweden, is moving — its ground shifts so often from the giant mine below it that the whole place is in danger of collapsing. The townspeople have to pack up and leave, eventually… but it turns out Kiruna may be sinking faster than anyone thought: Quakes are occurring with more frequency, and people are falling into the earth. It’s up to one woman, Frigga (Tuva Novotny), who knows the mine better than anyone else, to save the town — and her family. 

In the Swedish disaster movie The Abyss, also starring Peter Franzén and Kardo Razzazi, Frigga pushes her work-life balance to the limits as she battles against a crumbling mine while her children’s lives are at stake. The film was directed by Richard Holm (Gåsmamman) with a screenplay by Holm, his son Robin Sherlock Holm (The Machinery), and Nicola Sinclair.

When will The Abyss be released?

Stream it now.

Edvin Ryding as Simon in The Abyss

Where can I find the trailer for The Abyss?

Check it out at the top of this page. 

Who’s in the cast of The Abyss?

• Tuva Novotny (Annihilation) as Frigga Vibenius, the mine’s head of security
• Peter Franzén (Vikings) as Tage Vibenius, Frigga’s ex and the mine’s head of operations
• Kardo Razzazi (Rheingold) as Dabir Ayobi, Frigga’s boyfriend, a firefighter
• Felicia Maxime (Young Royals) as Mica Vibenius, Frigga’s daughter
• Tintin Poggats Sarri (Charter) as Aila, Mica’s friend
• Edvin Ryding (Young Royals) as Simon Vibenius, Frigga and Tage’s son
• Åsa Simma (Ellos Sápmi) as Livli, Mica’s friend
• Jakob Öhrman (Rebecka Martinsson) as Fredrik Bauman, Frigga’s co-worker

Kardo Razzazi as Dabir, Felicia Maxime as Mica in The Abyss

What happens in The Abyss?

In the northernmost town of Sweden, there’s a massive mine — so massive, in fact, that it creates seismic activity on a daily basis. To Frigga, the mine’s head of security, it’s just everyday life. She grew up in the mine, where her late father showed her the ropes. But lately, things have been a bit… off. The tremors have intensified, dogs around town are barking at seemingly nothing, and roaches are crawling out of the ground en masse. So when part of the mine caves in and her son, Simon (Maxine), goes missing, Frigga must head deep underground to find the source — before the entire town collapses in on itself. 

Is The Abyss based on a true story?

Yes. Though the film is fictional, the sinking town of Kiruna, Sweden, and the mine located there, are real. Like the movie says at the beginning, there was a massive earthquake there in May 2020 that occurred because of excavation. While 13 miners were working at the time of the earthquake, no injuries occurred. 

The threat of the town collapsing into a massive crater is also very real. Kiruna is indeed being slowly demolished and rebuilt two miles away to save the town and its inhabitants. Kiruna is home to the world’s largest underground iron ore mine — and the mining operations that’ve been happening there since the late 1800s have made the ground unstable. The relocation project, which began around 2004, is set to complete in 2035. 

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Where does The Abyss take place?

The film takes place in Kiruna, Sweden, in the arctic province of Lapland. 

Where was The Abyss filmed?

The Abyss was filmed in Kiruna and Stockholm, Sweden; Tampere, Finland; Brussels, Belgium; and on Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. 

Is The Abyss based on a book?

No, it’s not based on a book.