Thelma (2017) User Reviews (141)

I want to see it again already.

[mattiasflgrtll6 · 8/10 · 25 November 2017]

I feel like in the future, I might appreciate this movie even more. You really have to respect the ethics of it. Odder, unusual movies are commonly only screened at festivals, so it makes me very happy that this is one that slipped through the cracks and made it to the regular theaters. This is one of the most unique experiences I've had all year.

It revolves around Thelma, who grew up in a religious household and now is an adult living on her own. She's pretty shy and doesn't know how to talk to anyone at school. One day when she sits besides a girl (who will become very important to the story), she starts shaking and crows crash into the windows. She's having an epileptic seizure. But why?

Once she starts to have feelings for Anja (with Anja showing feelings back) as well as drinking and smoking (which her parents openly have discouraged), her powers start to spiral out of control even more, having horrifying nightmares and weird visions.

This is a very nice and slowly paced (in a good way) movie, but "nice" does not always equal comfortable. It will make you happy with emotions bubbling up in you, it will scare you one other moment and it will make you very sad. As the movie goes on it gets darker and darker, but instead of delving into full-on horror territory it makes you think a lot, and deals with Thelma getting increasingly emotionally conflicted. Why does she have these powers if they don't do any good for her? Is she punished by her sins or is she punished because she has lived out her life restrictfully? There's an interesting conversation at the beginning, where Thelma makes fun of creationists for believing the Earth is only 6000 years old, and her parents tell her she shouldn't make fun of what others believe and that she doesn't know much more herself about what created the world and what controls it. Thelma feels belittled, like she's been relieved of all sorts of independent expression. Despite this, she apologizes to her father afterwards since she's too afraid to break their rules, that she'll lose her love if she deviates too much from what she's been brought up to think.

The romance aspect is handled very nicely. It doesn't feel the slightest bit sappy, Elli Harboe and Kaya Wilkins play their characters gracefully, and their scenes together are never bloated by Hollywood esque music, which would remove some of the subtlety.

Joachim Trier also makes this movie look GORGEOUS visually, you often feel like you're inside of some strange lucid tangible dream world, and whenever scary things occur it's absolutely beautiful to look at.

It's not suitable as simple escapist entertainment, but if you want something which will make you think about the characters afterwards, not just how well-acted they were, but them as people, then I promise you won't regret it.

One of the darkest supernatural love stories

[Lugo1989 · 8/10 · 16 February 2018]

Thelma is a hard film to categorise. It contains everything from drama, mystery, supernatural elements, a bit of horror and is essentially a story about love, self-discovery and the fear it may be attached to it. It is a very slow film but the pace is even enough so it never gets dull or drags. The opening sequence is perfect and sets the tone of the film right from the very first seconds. All the performances are simply top-notch and photography stunning. There is also a bit of symbolism present so you will get your share of food for thought. The symbolism nicely compliments the film, it is not the focus of it and thus does not make Thelma a full on art-house film where you can't decipher or understand what is going on. It is very well written although it is very hard not to think of or compare it to Carrie since there are similarities.

Everyone who love dark films and stories with haunting atmosphere, good performances and beautiful photography should not miss this one. Recommended.

"I know there's something wrong with me", but what exactly?

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 23 December 2017]

"Thelma" (2017 release from Norway; 116 min.) brings the story of university student Thelma. As the movie opens, we see young Thelma and her dad walking in the snowy woods, and when they encounter a deer, dad aims his riffle first at the deer, then.... at Thelma. Whoa! We then go to today, as Thelma, just entering university in Oslo, has a difficult time finding her way. Then one day, as she is in the library/study hall, Thelma suffers a seizure. Following that incident, Anja, another student, reaches out to Thelma to see if she's okay. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Norwegian writer-director director Joachim Trier, who previously gave us the excellent "Louder Than Bombs" (2015) and before that the even better "Oslo, August 31st" (2011). Here he goes a very different direction. Trier brings us Thelma, an 18 yr. old who grew up in a very conservative/religious/rural setting but now finds freedom in the big city and, while feeling guilty about it, is nevertheless quite eager to explore this newly found freedom. The movie is paced quite slowly, and I mean that as a compliment, as Trier takes his time to explore and provide full characters. After the first seizure, Thelma gets scared and confesses "I know there's something wrong with me", but what exactly? And what causes thee seizures? All is revealed in the second hour of the movie... I shan't say more! Eili Harboe is outstanding in the title role, and I can only imagine that she will soon be making her debut in US movies. In fact, I could easily see how "Thelma" is one of those movies that Hollywood wants to remake--Hollywood style of course. Let's hope I am dead wrong on this one. "Thelma" is 180 degrees away from Hollywood mainstream, and it should stay that way,

"Thelma" opened without any fanfare or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend, and seeing that this was directed by Joachim Trier was good enough for me to check it out. So glad I did. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so at best (6 people including myself), and that leads me to think this won't play long in the theater... If you are in the mood for a top-notch foreign psychological drama with hints of the supernatural, I readily recommend that you check out "Thelma", be it in the theater (while you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Thelma" is a WINNER.

How would you like some questions you can never know the answer to?

[jfgibson73 · 20 April 2020]

This is a tricky one. It has a lot of open ended possibilities, and some scenes that you might not know how to feel about. You have to decide what stance you want to take. The story follows a young girl at university trying to fit in and make friends. At the same time, you start to find out she has some kind of powers to make things happen. Once you learn that, you can't be sure if anything happens because people made a choice, or if Thelma willed it. She hooks up with a close friend and they develop romantic feelings, but you will never know for sure if the other girl only liked Thelma because she was influenced by her mind control. We find out that she killed her infant brother when he was a baby, and she ends up killing her dad, but the way it plays out, it kind of seems like it was a necessary step for Thelma to move on with her life. Then, the ending seems nice enough, as she is back with her girlfriend, but you still don't know if her powers are under control, or if she is getting what she wants all the time now. I personally liked it; I sympathized with her and wanted to see her happy, so I thought the ending seemed sweet. Still, when you think back, you really can't be sure.

Good Norwegian movie.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 20 August 2018]

Thelma is categorized as a drama, fantasy and horror but I wouldn't categorize it as a horror movie because there are no horror moments at all. There is suspense building throughout the whole movie but it never gets really creepy. The story is good though, intriguing, slowly building to the climax. Good directing from Joachim Trier. Thelma is nicely shot, clearly done by professionals. The cast was well chosen as well, as all the actors did a good job with their respective characters. To me it could have been darker with more scary moments to make it better but even without that it's entertaining and worth watching. Good Norwegian movie.

Original Film

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 30 March 2019]

The lonely religious Thelma (Eili Harboe) is a repressed teenager that has just left her overprotective father Trond (Henrik Rafaelsen) and her disabled mother Unni (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) in the countryside of Norway to join the university in Oslo. She has no friends and one day she has an epileptic seizure in the library. Then she befriends the student Anja (Kaya Wilkins) and tastes wine and cigarette for the first time. Soon they fall in love with each other and Thelma feels uncomfortable with the situation that is against her religious values. Thelma is submitted to a series of exams to find the cause of her seizures and she thinks of Anja during the tests. When Anja disappears, Thelma learns that she has telekinetic powers. Thelma decides to return home where she recalls what she did with her family when she was young.

"Thelma" is an original film with a different story, great screenplay and magnificent performance of Eili Harboe. The top-notch and beautiful cinematography and camera work give a magnificent beginning to this film. The genre is hard to be labelled since it blends art, drama, mystery, romance, eroticism and horror in right doses. Give a chance to "Thelma" and you may have a good surprise. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Thelma"

Expertly shot, well acted, but not the wildest ride.

[Finfrosk86 · 7/10 · 13 September 2017]

First off. Some people are calling this a horror movie. It is not. This is a mysterious drama-thriller with supernatural elements, and just the slightest hint of horror. Now, I expected this so it was OK, but be aware. Expectations is a movie worst enemy!

OK! So Thelma is beautifully shot. Thought has gone into each scene, and each camera angle. The movie overall is very calm, kinda quiet. Eili Harboe is excellent as the titular character. The other characters are good too, but she stands out. She has a very natural way of acting. Also she is beautiful, and so is Kaya Wilkins, which plays her new friend. Gorgeous people.

Like I said, Thelma is a calm, low key movie for the most part. I did think it dragged just a tad in the middle part, but both the beginning and ending is pretty good. It has certain romantic tendencies, but it was done in a not annoying way. Good.

The are some scenes with CGI here, and they are very well done. You almost won't notice they are CG, except from the fact that you know you are watching something impossible. That's good. Thelma is not heavy on big effect stuff, but the effects that are, are excellent.

Joachim Trier is Norwegian movie critics golden child. They love him over here. Personally I'm no big fan, but then again, Reprise is the only movie of his I've seen, so I can't really say. But Thelma is the kind of supernatural movie movie critics are actually allowed to like. Because it's kinda artsy, ya'll! ;) Anyway, I liked it, didn't love it, but maybe I will later? I doubt it, but who knows! Know what you are in for, and you will probably like it too!

Beautifully shot with a thought-provoking story

[kickeeen · 9/10 · 3 December 2017]

Most films now-a-days rarely dear to be pushing the boundaries of the artistic form of cinema. Joachim Trier does this brilliantly by being able to make the viewer experience the same emotions the main character, Thelma, does during the whole movie.

During this beautifully shot piece, we're taken through a very eventful period of Thelma's life and learn to know her whole backstory, which is thought-provoking to say at least. It's a coming of age story told in a stylistic environment with some well-executed acting performances which makes the characters seem genuine. The viewer is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions throughout the film and as told earlier, Trier is great at making the viewer step into the shoes of Thelma.

The story is told in a beautiful manner, even though it might seem slow at times for some viewers. However, I reckon the film would've lost a lot of the suspense and tenseness it manages to create if it was shorter and/or faster, as Trier really lets us dive deep into Thelma's emotions.

Do certainly not hesitate to watch this movie as you will not regret it. Even for those not liking this film as much as I do, it's still a good movie which does not let you down, neither acting, telling or shooting-wise.

Beautiful art, okay plus film

[mathilde_bull · 7/10 · 20 September 2017]

After reading the fantastic reviews and hearing from friends what a great film this was, i went in with big expectations. I was, oddly not to my surprise, a bit let down, and i think others will be too. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't go out and watch it!

Harboe is the perfect choice for the titular character - every emotion is portrayed with the utmost of believability. Her connection with Anja feels natural and at times entrancing. If Harboe doesn't win an Amanda for Best Actress i'll boycott the award show. Just saying...

The story in engaging, but slow-paced. I don't mind, others might. This is a beautiful piece of art, executed with finesse by Trier. The soundtrack is underscoring the action without adding too much drama, and you've gotta love every moment Susanne Sundfør's music is playing in the background. A perfect fit for this film. The screenplay has a lot of potential, but stumbles here and there. In a way i wish it had been a bit easier on the use of metaphors and symbolism, but at the same time i can't quite grasp what Thelma really is about. Visually, it's stunning - and that's not a given for Norwegian film. But film needs more than stunning photography, cinematography, characters, cgi and music. And that last bit is what's missing here.

Summed up: if you don't like Trier's other films, you might not like this one either. But it's worth the money (!) and your time. Film er best på kino!

Seizure warning

[debrewski · 9/10 · 24 June 2018]

The film was excellent but they seriously need a seizure warning somewhere.

Harnessing the Powers From Within

[lavatch · 7/10 · 24 September 2022]

Young Thelma is entering college as a biology major. But by the end of her first semester, the textbook may need rewriting based on Thelma's psychological and telekinetic powers.

Along with Thelma herself, the audience discovers that the protagonist has tremendous powers which emanate from her subconscious. The most disturbing scene in the film was when as a child Thelma had a propensity to envy her baby brother, and the child died encased under the ice at the nearby lake.

In college, Thelma meets Anja, which is a first love experience. But is the experience too much for her based on her puritanical upbringing from a stern father? Was Thelma's grandmother institutionalized and remains in a near comatose state due to the monomaniacal father of Thelma?

One could argue that there are far too many loose ends and unanswered questions in this film. In fact, the ambiguity may be its greatest strength. Other commentators have compared "Thelma" to Stephen King's "Carrie." But "Thelma" is a much better film in large part due to the psychological depth and the uncertainty. It also helped to have a relatively upbeat ending to counteract the depressing content leading up to that point.

Parents Lose Control of Daughter, Daughter Loses Control of Self

[Blue-Grotto · 10/10 · 4 November 2017]

Lights flicker, the wind rises and animals behave strangely when Thelma becomes agitated. She is capable of mysterious and ethereal powers, and more than she knows because her manipulative and fundamentalist parents keep such things under wraps in home-school. As Thelma heads to college in Oslo and stops taking medications, not only do her parents lose control, she loses control of herself. Psychogenic seizures rack her body. Passions and anxieties multiply along with her abilities. This is when Anja, Thelma's close friend, does something extremely upsetting for Thelma. The next day when Anja can't be found, Thelma has a sickening feeling she had something to do with it. She searches for answers to the secrets and powers that beguile and haunt her.

This thrilling, deep, complex and sensual film explores a whole realm of different theories and possibilities. I was surprised and delighted by its twists and turns. It crosses borders between reality and fantasy, and light and darkness, and explores the good and bad in human nature. The actors are amazing, especially Eili Harboe as Thelma and Kaya Wilkins as Anja. It is fantastic to discover that the roots of psychogenic disorders go back as far as Joan of Arc. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Flawed but intriguing paranormal coming of age drama

[ebeckstr-1 · 7/10 · 12 February 2021]

Very good acting and some compelling character development are this film's greatest strengths. The deliberate, almost meditative pacing is affecting, as is the score. There are many moments of quietude, and this is part of what makes it such an interesting twist on Carrie. They really are of two completely different kinds of stories despite Thelma being a sort of Nordic retelling of Carrie.

The film's greatest flaw is the script's incorporation of that tired old cliche of fundamentalist religious fanaticism, which is such an old and boring trope. every single movie I've ever seen with this component and every story I've ever read that relies on it is weaker as a result. There are so many more subtle ways to introduce character and thematic complexity if part of what you're trying to do is include some sort of religious or spiritual dimension. Relying on the old and not-so-venerable fundamentalist Christian cliche means that the script misses out on some really interesting opportunities for greater subtlety and depth period

Nonetheless, this is a very good low-key paranormal drama.

An inconsistent, beautiful film.

[Maz-hell · 5/10 · 2 May 2018]

This movie is not for the people that want logic. It is beautiful: The scenery is perfect, the photography is sweet as hell, the music is delicious... the main problem I have with this movie is the plot.

Plot sounds as something that should be there. Everything is normal and suddendly we get a girl with mindpowers... but without them... from her childhood but not always... with limit or without them. She can control them but doesn't. Her father is an asshole but isn't and everything is but isn't.

Confused? You should be.

The movie never answers. Just expects you to accept everything with no questions, but at the same time to question everything. It fails totally at engage you. The acting is on point, but sometimes even thay seem to be confused on how to feel. I loved the graphical aspects. The "plot" is too weird to be likeable.

Watch it without a thought. You won't need it.

A unique supernatural drama about self-discovery

[ismamuzzaman · 7/10 · 24 July 2022]

A fascinating and thought-provoking film supernatural drama about self-discovery, with a perfectly-paced plot, that keeps you engaged as it unfolds, while also maintaining a sense of ambiguity. The acting and directing were also great.

a splash of Carrie

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 3 December 2017]

Greetings again from the darkness. Joachim Trier continues to deliver projects with his frequent writing partner and collaborator Eskil Vogt that cause us to take note of their intriguing and always (so far) interesting filmmaking. They may not be the fastest workers – OSLO, AUGUST 31 came out in 2011 and it has been over two years since LOUDER THAN BOMBS – but we can't help but appreciate their original stories and unique vision.

A chilling opening of a father/young daughter hunting trip sets an uneasy tone for the rest of the film. We then flash forward to that young girl heading off to college. Eilie Harboe is excellent as Thelma, a quiet young woman leaving home and her protective parents for the first time. Thelma has had a restrictive Christian upbringing and she's now a withdrawn, socially inept college student, simultaneously anxious to explore her new freedom and guilt-ridden with every new experience.

The school library is the setting for the first chance encounter between Thelma and Anja (Kaya Wilkins). We witness Thelma's blushing and uneasiness, and soon birds are crashing into the windows as Thelma writhes on the floor in full seizure. The girls cross paths again and the flirtations are followed by a heavy dose of Thelma prayers. This independence and sexual attractions leads Thelma down the ever-progressive road of dancing, booze, drugs (sort of), and sex – the only thing missing is rock 'n roll. An awkward dinner with her parents (Ellen Dorrit Peterson and Henrik Rafelsen) leads to more guilt and more seizures, as the two appear connected.

Director Trier's film is not easily categorized. It's part drama, thriller, romance, supernatural horror, and religious commentary. There are some supernatural similarities to two films from the 1970's – CARRIE and THE FURY, and the abundance of religious imagery leans heavily towards the former.

Some unusual camera angles and shots add visual interest to what for much of its runtime is an amorous courtship between the two leads. There is an always present cloak of uncertainty courtesy of the extreme helicopter parents and Thelma's unpreparedness in dealing with adult feelings. We instinctively realize there's more going on than the parents let on, but these are essentially quiet people who hold much inside. That theme carries over to the movie as a whole, which is a quiet, but sneaky film on the power of thought … both positive and negative.

THELMA is Trier's stern-faced take on the thematic dissection of embracing one's true id and freeing oneself from any extraneous shackles

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 12 March 2018]

A sexually awakening meet-cute laced with a preternatural conceit from Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, THELMA, his fourth feature, instantly emits an uncanny thrill through its preamble with a frozen river, a doe-eyed deer and a rifle surprisingly pointing at a young girl's head by her father.

The girl is Thelma (Harboe), now an undergraduate in Oslo, but still in thrall to her parents' over-frequent telephone calls concerning her quotidian whereabouts, and her rigid Catholic upbringing doesn't quite chime in with her peers. Afflicted by epileptic fits, which mystically coincide with the presence of a fellow student Anja (Wilkins), to whom she feels attracted. Their inchoate romance hits an abrupt and unexplained abeyance when Thelma is under treatment of a triggered seizure for medical checkup. Guilt-driven by Anja's unaccountable vanishing, Thelma retreats to home and childhood tragedy resurfaces, and the film manages to find a way out for her with a confluence of sacrifice and miracle, garnished with a pinch of numinous enlightenment, which renders its empowering ending a puff of absurdity that might not be appreciated by everyone.

Trier grandly sinks his teeth into fabricating an atmospheric eeriness that permeates throughout Thelma's rude-awakening, even in the prosaic campus environs: a luminous library assailed by an avian outsider, a natatorium where terror of seclusion and drowning taking a spectacular visual form with flying colors and Thelma's dormitory building, lit by nocturnal luster where eldritch menace seeps from within. Thelma's rite-of-passage, from religious and familial suppression to physical arousing, until a final mental liberation, is conveyed with eloquence (a cracking tantalizing sequence amalgamated with a bringing-down-the-roof trepidation during a modern dance performance) and innovation (metaphors and animal symbols are deployed in good senses, whether it is the deer in the opening, the slithering snake in the psychedelic mid-stream, or the black bird purged near the end), though one might grouse that the student's life is pedestrianly exemplified by a strobing nightstand, casual get-togethers deadened by alcohol and smoke.

A convulsing (often in its literal sense) and pulsating Eili Harboe makes good in the center stage with both mettle and competence, but Kaya Wilkins's Anja is deficient in any thumbprint other than propelling the plot development in the mode of a hapless love interest, both Henrik Rafaelsen and Ellen Dorrit Petersen are swell as Thelma's conflicting parents, often muddling the water of the saint-or-sinner dichotomy. In the event, THELMA is Trier's stern-faced take on the thematic dissection of embracing one's true id and freeing oneself from any extraneous shackles, it is a bracingly crafted parable with one proviso, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!, that if one can live down with the key placement of a dead toddler in its moral conundrum that eventually peters out in its gnomic reconciliation.

Best X-Men Movie ever

[andreasz-2381 · 10/10 · 28 October 2017]

Back from the cinema and i am still...wow wow wow.

It was just a kinda boring evening, so i took a walk to my favourite cinema in Reykjavik downtown spontaneous.

Unfortunately it was the smallest cinema hall but OK i took a set in the middle of the second seat row. So it was like the last seat row in the big cinema hall. Everything was quiet, not many peoples...perfect.

And the movie started, first scene, what the hell, OK, curious, interesting and from the beginning to the end, it was just an exciting, stunning, enigmatic thrill of a young woman with epilepsy and what can happen if.....

The best movie 2017 i have seen so far!

Strong concept but somewhat poor execution

[strawberrylumps · 6/10 · 21 June 2020]

I thought this film had a lot of potential. I really liked the idea of having a supernatural and ambitious concept executed within a more low key and subtle format. However I felt it ultimately didn't deliver like I hoped it would. I thought our lead, Thelma, despite having these repressed powers due to her inner turmoil over her religion and sexuality, pretty uninteresting. I just thought the actress was kinda stiff and the character wasn't written in a way that made her likable enough to really root for. I also didn't find her relationship with her love interest very believable. I don't think they had a ton of chemistry together tbh. I also didn't feel like there was any build up to it, it just kind of happened. Looking back though, that could of been somewhat intentional by the writer to hint at the fact that Thelma manifested the romance with her powers without even realizing it. That brings me to what I did like about the film. I actually did like the ambiguous ending that made you question whether their relationship was genuine or not on the other girls part. I also thought the scenes when she was with her parents/flashbacks were much stronger and more interesting than the rest of the film. I really liked exploring the complicated relationship Thelma had with them, especially when she was a child and they were just finding out about her powers. I also found her revenge against her father extremely satisfying at the end after he they treated her. Overall I thought the film had some really strong elements, especially the ending, but I thought it ultimately could of been executed and written better to make it more enjoyable.

Took me by surprise

[mashpotatoe · 9/10 · 15 September 2021]

Nordic cinema never misses, and this movie is solid proof of that. The style of shooting, the pacing and the editing really keeps the audience questioning the direction it's going in. I personally enjoyed the suspense of not fully knowing the genre of this movie, til the big reveal. I can't really fault this movie except one thing - the ending. I felt it was quite rushed, some movies like to leave you still questioning at the end but this one left a lot of big questions, questions that I felt a 2 hour movie could have explained. Would have been 10 stars from me if it wasn't for that, but other than that, thoroughly enjoyed experiencing a different type of movie you don't usually see in mainstream media. Main highlights: thought provoking, the scores, great acting from both leads but mainly Kaya seeing as it was her first project and lastly, the lake scene.

Good movie

[raja_sarkar · 7/10 · 22 April 2019]

Thelma (2017) is a unique, bold, coming-of-age, slow-burn, supernatural thriller which retains its gravitas throughout its runtime and leaves a gnawing impact. The story revolves around a sexually repressed teenager who discovers her latent telekinetic abilities as a bizarre firestarter. The cinematography is laudable. The treatment is lonely and gloomy to a strange degree which makes it more of an indie-supernatural thriller rather than a mainstream movie. It manages to skip jump-scares and depends largely on characterization, acting, and emotional impact. If you have a hankering for quirky supernatural flicks with moody undertones, this is your movie.

Well worth seeing

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 21 October 2017]

Imagine a film that is part Carrie and part The Exorcist…combined with a lesbian love story. I know that sounds a bit confusing…but this is a pretty accurate summary of the picture.

When the story begins, young Thelma (Eili Harboe) has gone off to college and things seem pretty normal. However, out of the blue, she has what appears to be a grand mal seizure that lands her in the hospital. Soon after, one of the folks who witnessed the seizure, Anja (Kaya Wilkens) introduces herself to Thelma and they soon become friends. In fact, over times they become more than friends as both the women begin having sexual feelings for each other…which causes Thelma to have a huge internal struggle because this violates her strong Christian upbringing. A bit later, Thelma enters the hospital for testing to determine exactly whether or not she has epilepsy. During the testing, her defenses are lowered and her intense feelings for Anya run wild…so wild that Thelma's supernatural powers manifest themselves. What exactly are these powers? And, what family secrets are there related to all this? And, how does this all end?

As I said, the story reminds me of a couple other films but it's also original in many ways. It also keeps you guessing…and that's the biggest reason I recommend the picture. Where all this is going and how it gets there make this a very special film, though I have a couple important warnings. First, there are lots and lots of flashing lights and epileptic viewers might have difficulties with this. Second, if you have a strong fear of snakes do not watch this film! There are several snakes in the film but one incredibly vivid dream that is nightmare fodder involving snakes and you need to consider this before you see this excellent movie.

Great directorial movie gene in the Trier family

[zoricaristevska · 6/10 · 25 April 2018]

Well, I certainly didn't have an intention to watch this film as it looked like a horror/erotic movie from description and trailers, but in the end the positive reviews won, and so, I must admit that it hasn't been in vain. The photography is awesome and storytelling is good, although I feel there was a vast space needing to be filled with more substance but instead the film's tended toward more mystery, and less toward casting light over the right questions. The most profound thing for me were the parents' actions. The comparison to other cases in the past wrongfully labeled or the insight to the epilepsy or epilepsy-like symptoms were a great parallel and insights in the others' struggles. It totally gives another perspective in the matter. This movie is the reason why I'm watching everything I can get my hands on next from the director Trier. (I saw that he's related to the big Lars). Maybe it's not fair to make comparisons between both, but I felt a lot of similar energy to this product, as with other works of Lars.

Very slow

[gab-67599 · 3/10 · 9 April 2021]

For me, this movie was way too slow to even enjoy. The actors were better than great! But sadly, the story did not explain enough to know what was going on. She had a brother but she killed him, she had a dad but killed him as well. Then she has a girlfriend and kills her, but magically brought her back to life? Was able to give her mother the ability to walk again, why was she in the wheel chair in the first place? She also said she loved her father and he was the only one she could truly talk to, but yet she left him dead. Why not bring back the two family members she loved? Why just bring back her girlfriend? Because of all these questions, I could and never would recommend this movie to anyone. Not even someone I wanted to get payback from and that says a lot right there. So "Artistic" movies are just NOT my cup of tea I guess, because I wish I had never wasted a minute on this movie. This will be a hard pass for me.

[7.3] The look, the flesh, the tempest

[cjonesas · 7/10 · 16 May 2023]

A sleek film, well-made of course, what would you expect less from Scandinavian productions, but with way more emotional moments than psychokinetic ones. Had it had more baby disappearing stuff! And for that matter adults fusion with buildings and walls too, that would have been great and then only then she could have lived happily ever after with her imaginary "swimmer" !.

Also, no warning of any sort for scenes of stroboscopic light effects that are not suitable for some and could trigger their own ... That would also have been nice dear producer.

Joachim Trier is an interesting director in a good, slow-paced and deep way; Mr. Trier, another fan has joined your big group.

• Screenplay/story: 6.5
• Development: 8
• Realism: 7.5
• Entertainment: 7.5
• Acting: 7.5
• Filming/cinematography: 7.5
• Visual/special effects: 7.5
• Music/score: 7
• Depth: 7
• Logic: 7
• Flow: 7.5
• Drama/fantasy/horror/mystery/romance/sci-fi/thriller: 7
• Ending: 7.5.