Whilst having found her absolutely incredible in The Millennium trilogy,I've been unsure about when to view this Noomi Rapace title, due to how grim the subject matter is. Reading from a fellow IMDber recently who is also a Rapace fan that they found tough, but very good,I got set to finally go beyond.
View on the film:
From the opening scene in bed, co-writer/(with Lolita Ray) debut feature film directing Pernilla August & cinematographer Erik Molberg Hansen make the colour blue be the most prominent recurring motif in the movie,with the light tint of blue during car rides and the families being surrounded by blue objects in their homes, bringing out a cold light of down clarity, to the fake, brightly coloured meek image they try to present. Closely working with sound editor Tomas Krantz, August makes the scenes of wife beating extremely beat, wisely trimming a score away, and keeping the muffled sounds of whimpers and thumps coming from the next bedroom as the lone noise.
Dividing their time line between the 70's and the present in adapting Susanna Alakoski's novel,the screenplay by Ray and August takes excellent care in examining the long-term effect physical abuse can have, highlighted in Leena being in a chillingly normalised abusive relationship, whilst meeting her dying mum, who tries to black out the abuse her husband/ Leena's dad inflicted on all the family.
Married at the time in real life, Noomi and Ola Rapace both give outstanding performances as couple Leena and Johan,with Johan's sways from romantic to violence given a unsettling turn by Ola, whilst Noomi pulls back into Leena's childhood (played by future Lisbeth Salander as a child, Tehilla Blad )traumas that have continued affecting her to the present, with no sign of answers from the great beyond.
View on the film:
From the opening scene in bed, co-writer/(with Lolita Ray) debut feature film directing Pernilla August & cinematographer Erik Molberg Hansen make the colour blue be the most prominent recurring motif in the movie,with the light tint of blue during car rides and the families being surrounded by blue objects in their homes, bringing out a cold light of down clarity, to the fake, brightly coloured meek image they try to present. Closely working with sound editor Tomas Krantz, August makes the scenes of wife beating extremely beat, wisely trimming a score away, and keeping the muffled sounds of whimpers and thumps coming from the next bedroom as the lone noise.
Dividing their time line between the 70's and the present in adapting Susanna Alakoski's novel,the screenplay by Ray and August takes excellent care in examining the long-term effect physical abuse can have, highlighted in Leena being in a chillingly normalised abusive relationship, whilst meeting her dying mum, who tries to black out the abuse her husband/ Leena's dad inflicted on all the family.
Married at the time in real life, Noomi and Ola Rapace both give outstanding performances as couple Leena and Johan,with Johan's sways from romantic to violence given a unsettling turn by Ola, whilst Noomi pulls back into Leena's childhood (played by future Lisbeth Salander as a child, Tehilla Blad )traumas that have continued affecting her to the present, with no sign of answers from the great beyond.