Tag Archives: Swedish

Swedish films.

Monitor, The (2012)

aka Babycall

Being a huge Noomi Rapace fan since the first time I saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I’ve been interested in everything else she’s done since. I saw the original trailer of The Monitor, also known as Babycall, and knew it was also one I needed to see. A year later, I was excited that the foreign film made its way to our shores. One thing I wasn’t certain about, however, was what exactly the film was all about. The trailers suggested it was a thriller, but that was about all I could gather.

The film follows Anna (Rapace), a single mother who moves into a new apartment with her young son Anders (Vetle Qvenild Werring). Right away we assume Anna has had some trouble when two child protective officers arrive at the home to make sure Anders is being taken care of properly. We soon learn that Anders was nearly killed by his father and that the mother and son had escaped. As a result, Anna is overprotective and often paranoid, so much to the point she buys a baby monitor so that she can feel comfortable about Anders sleeping in a separate room.

I couldn’t help but think of another role Noomi played in a Danish film called Daisy Diamond. Her character was also called Anna in that film in addition to be a single mother as well. From seeing her as Lisbeth in the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, it was hard to picture her as a mother figure, but she surprises in both films (in more ways than one). What is it about this young lady that makes her portray such tragic characters so convincingly? While she surprisingly does pull off a motherly character well, her character’s in both films are not without a bit of darkness and tragedy of their own.

Anna in The Monitor faces several conflicts. Most important is caring for her son while keeping child protective services at bay. However, once she purchases the baby monitor, strange sounds of a child potentially being killed start coming through the receiver. This causes a stir of worry in Anna’s head. It’s not long before she starts to fear for her and her son’s lives, while also investigating the suspicious transmission. Anna may also be facing an even bigger enemy: herself.

Anna meets an awkward shy guy named Helge (Kristoffer Joner) at the electronics store when she buys the baby monitor. This event brings a new hope into Anna’s life, but at the same time introduces new questions to both Anna and the viewer. I had a hard time fully understanding what was going on from the beginning, but as it played out it only got more complicated. As Anna gets closer to Helge, more of what happens in the film becomes questionable.

This is a movie that might turn many people off. It poses arguably more questions than answers and in the end still may leave one scratching one’s head. However I enjoy a movie that challenges the audience. The film is a dark psychological drama that puts the viewer in the mind of Anna. We see and hear what she does, which is why it can often be confusing. That is perhaps why I found the film fascinating. Anna is a complex character, and the more we get to know her the more layers we begin to uncover.

For a fan of Noomi such as myself, the film is a definite pleasure. She shows versatility while still channeling the damaged and troubled woman that she does unspeakably well. The film’s enigmatic story and characters sucked me in. The pacing lagged a bit at times, which makes it tough with an already mentally straining storyline, but the effectiveness makes it worth it. While there are some loose ends and the rushed explanation at the ending only throws things askew even more, the cerebral suspense and convincing performances in The Monitor offer a thought-provoking and surprisingly shocking experience.

Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, The (2010)

Girl Who Played with Fire, The (2010)

Director: Daniel Alfredson
Writers: Jonas Frykberg and Stieg Larsson (novel)
Original release date: 2009
Language: Swedish
Cast: Michael Nyqvist , Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Peter Andersson, and Micke Spreitz

Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are back in The Girl Who Played with Fire, the second installment of the movie adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy. In my review of the first film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I expressed how much I loved that film. My excitement over this series has grown exponentially during the anticipation of this film, needless to say I was not let down.

After fleeing with apparently a plentiful amount of money and being gone for about a year, Lisbeth (Rapace) makes her return to Sweden. Her first order of business is to meet with her guardian Nils Bjurman (Peter Andersson) to remind him of what she’s capable of in the event he stops giving her favorable reports to the authorities. Not long after, Bjurman is murdered. The primary suspect: Lisbeth Salander.

Back at Millennium, Blomkvist (Nyqvist) and his crew enlist Dag Svensson (Hans Christian Thulin), a new investigative reporter who’s done work in uncovering a sex trafficking ring. This new investigation again has the potential of putting many respected individuals in the headlines. Things again go sour when new murders occur as a result, with the blame again being put on Lisbeth.

As Blomkvist becomes determined to clear Lisbeth’s name, Lisbeth makes some revelations of her own. The two go throughout the entire movie without direct interaction, but still working together and as great as ever. There are also many new characters introduced, and many new angles on the storyline; too much to cover in this review. I will say this though, there is just enough going on to keep the movie from becoming dull and not too much that you have no idea what’s going on, which is always a great thing for a movie.

The main standout in this film from its predecessor is that it is a bit more exciting than The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. As opposed to the depressing and mysterious snow landscape, we’re now in the lively city with clear skies. This brings with it a bit more exciting action such as a car chase and a fight scene. While the film does take some different turns in comparison to TGWTDT, especially with the directing style, it is equally as compelling and awesome.

Nyqvist and Rapace continue to be the driving force in this film. Their performances are simply amazing, even when they have minimal interaction. Lisbeth continues to be my favorite movie character, and Rapace even manages to turn things up a notch this time around. The dynamic duo really are one of the best things to happen to movies in a very long time, and the actors are just as responsible for that as Larsson’s vision. These characters leave us with feelings of justice and empowerment.

Yes the film goes in kind of another direction from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, having a bit of Hollywood-esque excitement. The good thing is that it doesn’t go down any cliche path though, the characters and new storylines make it exciting and different. Our fearless investigator and our standoffish yet powerful hacker-extraordinaire take things to a new level and leave us wanting more. On that note, the ending truly was as shocking as it was amazing; perfectly setting things up for a final chapter.

I’ll mention again to my fellow non-Swedish audiences that everyone needs to go out and see these movies and/or buy the DVDs. While I have a suspicion that the American renditions will be well made, you just cannot compare to the originality and genius behind these films. For fans of intense thrillers, brilliant crime stories, and unique and powerful characters, you just cannot go wrong here (and for fans who cannot keep up with subtitles, the DVDs have a dub track!).
Perfect rating / two thumbs up / 4 stars / 5 stars / 10 stars / you get the picture
IMDb/trailer | Official movie site

Let the Right One In (2008)

Director: Tomas Alfredson | Rated: R | Review date: 20-Feb-2010

aka Låt den rätte komma in

Vampires are all the rage lately, so much so that one would think there’s very little room for creativity in the genre. Well Let the Right One In proves that to be quite the contrary. The author of the book of which this film is based, John Ajvide Lindqvist, has also wrote the screenplay for this dark Swedish gem directed by Tomas Alfredson.

The story follows 12 year old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a bullied loner living in an apartment complex with his mother. Oskar would like nothing more than to have revenge on those who frequently push him around, so much that he actually acts out doing so in his spare time. Oskar’s life starts to get more interesting when the mysterious Eli (Lina Leandersson) moves into his apartment building next door.

Eli’s little secret causes her to avoid any relationships with people, however she finds Oskar to be quite an interesting individual and the two begin to become close. The unlikely pair begin to form a unique and touching bond that changes both of their lives. A Twlight clone this movie is not, though the concept of a young vampire in love may sound very similar. However Let the Right One In provides a much darker atmosphere and focuses on a much less romantic relationship.

Much needs to be said about the two young stars. Hedebrant does an excellent job capturing the loneliness and innocence of Oskar. Newcomer Leandersson is the standout in this film as Eli. The young actress has a certain quality to her that really causes one to believe that she is a vampire. I found her performance to be almost frightening at some points due to her ability to really exhibit darkness and inhuman qualities. Leandersson’s voice was actually dubbed post-production to make her voice less feminine, which to me was an excellent choice as the voice of Elif Ceylan, the voice actress, fit Eli’s persona perfectly.

This film is a much welcomed vampire movie in a genre where almost everything has been done. The Swedes seem to have a way to really capture that sense of darkness and gloom associated with the cold and snow covered locale, but doing so in a way that makes it unavoidably beautiful. The film is far from a typical horror. Sure, there are some very nice blood-soaked kill scenes and some great special effects. However the film’s strong point is it’s original and touching story.

The film is surely a breath of fresh air for both vampire and horror movies in general. The film has captured much attention, so much that there is an upcoming American remake of the film titled Let Me In. I’m beginning to love the dark style much seen in Swedish film making and films such as this one only make me want more. Let the Right One In is a must see for vampire fans as well as those simply looking for a well made fantasy thriller that will both entertain and pull on your emotions.
Official site/trailer | IMDb

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The (2009)

aka Män som hatar kvinnor

Director: Niels Arden Oplev | Review date: 7-Sept-2009 (updated 18-Feb-2010/20-Mar-2010)

Translated as “Men Who Hate Women” and known as the English title “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Män som hatar kvinnor is a dark and atmospheric Swedish thriller based on the novel by Stieg Larsson about a journalist and his unlikely encounter with a young female hacker. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is the journalist who is found guilty of a crime that he did not commit. He’s soon sought by a wealthy elderly man for his expertise in investigating in hopes to find answers to an old missing person case.

A young rebellious hacker named Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) is a delinquent who works for the security company hired to get information about Mikael. Becoming intrigued, perhaps obsessed to an extent, with Mikael, Lisbeth continues to track him until they eventually meet. The two team up to solve the case only to find themselves caught in a family’s long line of dark and dirty secrets.

The standout character in this film is Lisbeth, who has built quite a hard shell as a result of constantly being abused throughout her life. Noomi Rapace plays this character extraordinarily well, to the point that we feel her pain and experiences. The character of Lisbeth is by far the most fascinating character, be it in a book or movie, that I can recall in quite some time. Her mysterious nature is intriguing, while her tech-savviness is both exciting and relevant in today’s world. Nyqvist is equally impressive as the zealous investigator. The rest of the cast does outstandingly well also, bringing eerie realism to this drama. The heartlessness of the villains portrayed in the film is sure to leave one with an ill feeling.

The picture itself has great direction from Oplev. He really captures a certain feeling of the cold and bleak locale which so hauntingly ads to the film’s mysteriousness. The film can be graphic and unsettling at times during scenes involving violence and sexual assault (which are far from exploitive) but necessarily so to illustrate the pain and suffering endured by our characters. The dark mood is offset by the developing bond between our main characters and their own personal growth. It’s longer runtime goes unnoticed by including plenty of clues combined with nicely executed action that only makes one want more.

The film is a captivating crime thriller that is brilliantly played out and is sure to have viewers feeling all sorts of emotions throughout. I’ve not yet read this or any of the other books from Larsson’s Millenium trilogy, however this film has greatly prompted my interest. The film sheds light on the all too real world of men who hate women, if only there were more people like Mikael and Lisbeth to bring them to justice. On a side note, as I’ve mentioned in my rant regarding English-language remakes, this film is in talks to be given an American remake in the near future. While if done right the remake could be good, it’s highly advisable to check out this beautiful Swedish masterpiece in its original form.

Rating: Perfect Rating
IMDb/trailer/clips

US DVD coming soon!