Is The Glass Dome based on a true story? Inspiration behind the Netflix series, explored

Netflix has recently dropped a thrilling Swedish psychological drama, The Glass Dome, that fits into the Nordic Noir genre. The miniseries consists of just six episodes and follows the story of Lejla Ness, a criminologist who has spent years living in the United States.

The series kicks off with Lejla's adoptive mother's demise, followed by the criminologist returning to her remote hometown of Granås. On the surface, it's known as a quiet Swedish village that quickly turns out to be anything but peaceful.

What begins as a short visit for a funeral quickly spirals into something much darker. Lejla is shocked when her childhood friend Louise is found murdered. Things take an even more disturbing turn when Louise’s young daughter, Alicia, disappears, and the circumstances of her vanishing seem oddly familiar to Lejla.

The Netflix series The Glass Dome may look and feel like a true-crime story, but it’s actually not based on any real-life kidnapping or documented criminal case. It’s a completely fictional creation developed by Swedish writer Camilla Läckberg.

However, what makes this series so powerful is how the creator used this story to reflect the emotional realities of people who have lived through trauma. Läckberg didn't rely on a specific case for inspiration, but instead used her understanding of how trauma affects people over time.

Keep reading to learn how the events unfold in this psychological thriller.

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Netflix's The Glass Dome follows a compelling fictional story

If you've been intrigued by the newly released series The Glass Dome on Netflix and wonder if it's actually someone's story, then know that it's fictional. As mentioned above, Camilla Läckberg aims to highlight the impact of trauma, abuse, isolation, and scars left from the past.

Instead of showing dramatic twists just for the sake of entertainment, the show digs into the emotional complexity of survival and memory. So, the titular character Lejla Ness (played by Léonie Vincent) is also a fictional character who's carefully crafted to reflect on people who've experienced childhood trauma.

As seen in the series, Lejla is devastated by her best friend's murder and then learns that her daughter has been abducted. This triggers traumatic memories as she also looks into old videos of her childhood when she was rescued and had to go through several questions.

Lejla has developed trust problems, has fragmented memories, and the emotional burden she bears is all part of an attempt to depict how survivors tend to process and live with their past. The intention in The Glass Dome is not to sensationalize trauma, but to depict it with realism and empathy.

Also Read: Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story — Netflix drops trailer for upcoming true-crime docuseries

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How does The Glass Dome on Netflix end?

The finale of The Glass Dome reveals that Valter Ness, Lejla’s adoptive father and a former police officer, was the real kidnapper all along. Despite his respectable image, he was behind both Lejla’s and Alicia’s abductions, hiding his dark secrets in plain sight.

Creator Camilla Läckberg also shed light on crafting a character like Valter and said:

"The idea was from the start built on Valter being a 'wolf in sheep's clothing' and it comes from my fascination for killers and psychopaths who are capable of having normal lives, while committing horrible crimes."

Lejla is kidnapped again and taken to the same glass dome where Alicia is trapped. At first, she thinks Tomas is behind it, but the mask comes off—it’s Valter. He repeats the same disturbing ritual from Lejla’s past, cutting Alicia’s hair to use for fishing flies, showing his need for control.

The creator and writer added:

"He uses love as a way to keep his control of her. Love is the way he lures her in, and what keeps her close to him. He takes advantage of her need to belong somewhere and be loved, because without him she is alone in the world."

Tomas finds a secret chamber under Valter’s home. He sees Lejla injured, trying to stop Valter from hurting Alicia. Tomas steps in and fires two shots. Valter survives and ends up in prison, now in a wheelchair.

At the end of The Glass Dome, Alicia reunites with her father. Lejla visits Valter in jail, where he coldly reveals where he dumped the bodies of his other victims. Justice is served, but Lejla is left with emotional scars and the haunting legacy of Valter’s manipulation.

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