Thelma

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!

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

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.

"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.

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.