#scandi cinema

[prettymysticfalls]

Thelma

"Thelma" was one of the most anticipated movies of 2017 for me and it didn't disappoint. It is a LGBTQ related fantasy-thriller movie.

Thelma, who lives with her parents, flies the nest to go to university. She seems like a shy girl who is socially anxious and socially awkward. Not only she is alone, but she is also lonely. She has overprotective, over-controlling, religious and righteous parents. She feels afraid of letting them down. However, her father feels like a friend to her since she tells him everything. Thelma doesn't drink alcohol because her parents raised her Christian. She has a crush on a girl called Anja which makes Thelma feel like a sinner because of her upbringing. Meanwhile, Thelma starts to develop seizure-like episodes whenever she feels stressed. The mystery begins with these episodes.

At first, this film seems like a supernatural/paranormal thriller since it revolves around telekinesis mystery and pseudoseizures. There are features of animals in Hitchockian style which makes the movie suspenseful. But then as it turns out, it is more than just supernatural because supernatural elements are used as metaphors embedded in the film. It is allegorical. Hence, "Thelma" tells a much bigger story. It is about parental pressure, religious guilt, repressed sexuality, sexual awakening, self-discovery and self-liberation.

Joachim Trier did a great job at directing the movie. I watched two films of Joachim Trier before which are "Oslo. 31 August" and "Reprise". None of them were like "Thelma". Because those films actually could happen in real life, whereas "Thelma" happened in a fantasy world that looked like reality. So, I was really surprised by Joachim Trier this time. He definitely enhanced his writing skills by developing symbolism in his screenplay with Eskil Vogt.

Eili Harboe delivered an amazing performance. A couple months ago, I watched her in "Kyss meg for faen i helvete" and "Kompani Orheim" which were filmed 5-6 years ago. She was good in those films. However, a few years later, she got much better in "Thelma". She was an aspiring talent back then, and now she proved her talent in this movie. Kaya Wilkins' performance was just alright. However, she had a good on-screen chemistry with Eili Harboe. I really liked performances of Henrik Rafaelsen and Ellen Dorrit Petersen. Overall, the acting was pretty good.

In sum, "Thelma" is an unnerving experience. It is more thought-provoking rather than disturbing. It shows how toxic jealousy, neglect, oppression, repression and suppression can be. It advises us to recognize, accept and embrace our own identity. Also, it warns us: "Be careful what you wish for..."

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[prettymysticfalls]

The Square

“The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it we all share equal rights and obligations.”

"The Square" is not everyone’s cup of tea. Especially, if you are not familiar with or if you are not fond of Scandinavian cinema. Or if you are not keen on satirical movies since "the Square" is highly satirical. Well, it is a social satire surrounded with surrealism. It is absurd yet abstract. It is unusual. It is quirky. It focuses on altruism, solidarity and social responsibility, whereas it mocks society and relationships. The use of following terms, such as human morality, political correctness, bystander effect, societal collapse, societal hypocrisy, social dysfunction, social ineptness, social unawareness, class distinction and hierarchy, aims to make the audience uncomfortable. However, discomforting terms are not enough for "The Square". Because "The Square" also has terms that aims to make the audience question. Those terms are cry for help, self censorship, freedom of self expression, trust vs. mistrust and ego. We also see those discomforting and questioning terms forming a relationship with social media and digital marketing such as going viral and drawing attention.

The directing is amazing, so is the cinematography. When the characters go up the stairs in a certain scene, it feels like you are looking at a square, well, more like endless squares. Those little details are what makes the directing and the cinematography amazing. The acting is superb, by the way. It has great scores that kept my ears happy the entire time.

The movie is too long though. So, it might be distracting or exhausting for some people. It also might be hard to digest for the ones who are not used to satirical films. However, it is a very good movie and it might win the best foreign film at the 2018 Oscars.

So, don't let the term, square, fool you! Because "The Square" makes you circle around yourself.

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[prettymysticfalls]

Sami Blood

"Sami Blood" is a powerful coming-of-age tale about a Sámi girl who is dealing with racism, struggling with her identity and trying to find her place in this world.

The movie has slow pacing but it is not boring at all. It feels psychological. It tells a story of an old woman who refused to belong in Sami culture. By reminiscing her younger self, the woman explains the audience why she chose to leave her identity behind and why she had a desire to be a Swede rather than a Sami. Her decision was quite radical and it was a really difficult one. So, you just have to understand her point of view without judging her.

The storytelling is incredible. The screenwriter and director Amanda Kernell, who is half Swede and half Sami, was pretty vocal and realistic with the narrative. I believe, she sort of told the story and directed it from her own point of view. The directing is so on point. The camera focuses on little details so well. Every scene has a meaning so attention must be paid. The cinematography is stunning. It feels great to see natural habitat of Sweden. The acting is so good and natural. It feels like you are watching a documentary, not a movie because it all feels so real. The casting is so well done because all Sami characters are portrayed by real Sami people. Therefore, they really did a remarkable job in order not to offend racial sensibility. The scores are great. I found Sami songs so calming and idyllic.

This movie is important because it represents struggles Sami people had because of racism and discrimination. It is quite heartbreaking to see how those people are mistreated because of their race.

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[prettymysticfalls]

Autumn Sonata

"Autumn Sonata" is another masterpiece by Ingmar Bergman. The movie focuses on a toxic mother-daughter relationship. So, the film is quite psychological. There aren't only dialogues, but there are also soliloquizes in the film. Those soliloquizes are keys to help audience to understand the characters better. The characters are so well created. All of them are different from each other but all of them are linked in a way. Behavior and attitude of one of them define and shape another one's behavior and attitude. They make each other who they are. Especially, the emotionally absent mother and the unloved daughter, since they make each other dysfunctional. Their reconcilation scene makes it obvious that something is off with them, like they are obviously faking it all. The more time they spend with each other, the more things start to surface. Their confrontation scene is just splendid. Ingrid Bergman's acting is great. However, Liv Ullmann's acting is beyond marvelous. She conveys her character's emotions to audience in the best way possible. You can clearly see how scared her character is and how much she is hurting. It is kind of sad that her performance is underrated when it should not be.

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