This summer, Lund has taken centre stage on the global screen. On 31 July 2025, Netflix premiered An Honest Life (Ett ärligt liv), the film adaptation of alumnus (and lecturer in commercial law) Joakim Zander’s acclaimed 2022 novel. The film has quickly become the second most watched non-English language film globally on Netflix, reaching the top charts in 18 countries within its first weeks.
The story begins at a violent demonstration, where a young, soon-to-be law student meets a woman who draws him into her circle of eccentric friends. Their lives pulse with radical and exhilarating ideals, but also with lies and dangerous risks. As he realises too late what he has become entangled in, the film unfolds as a gripping thriller about truth, betrayal and the allure of life lived outside the law.
Our city plays the lead
More than just a backdrop, Lund itself almost emerges as one of the film’s leading characters. The camera lingers on the cobblestone streets, Jurdicum, Botan, Lundagård, Professorsstaden and all other corners of campus that many of you will know by heart.
Can you spot the author?
Joakim Zander, the author whose book was featured in the Alumni Book Club last summer, also makes a cameo in the film – offering a delightful Easter egg for attentive viewers and a symbolic nod to the author’s hand in bringing the story to life on screen. Can you spot him?
The film is available in many languages and with subtitles.