Troubled Water

"deUsynlige" (English title "Troubled water") is Norwegian director Erik Poppe's third film in his Oslo-trilogy where the first is "Schpaaa" from 1998 and the second is the fabulous "Hawaii, Oslo" from 2004.

All films are of a great caliber, and Poppe is proving to be a director who knows his ways. You are marked after watching one of his films, and this is so far the best, actually more or less flawless.

Of course, there are things which could have been done differently, but every scene in his films are carefully woven into the story. Here's no coincidences, though his films are full of them. Life's coincidences. Well, is it coincidental, or is it faith? Is it bound to happen? This seems to be something Poppe is also very concerned with, together with his equally fabulous manuscript writer Harald Rosenløw-Eeg.

"deUsynlige" (something like "The invisibles" directly translated into English) obviously uses "deus" in the meaning of God, and this is also a film with religious themes and setting, this being about guilt, truth and forgiveness. But more reconciliation than forgiveness. Some things can't be forgiven...

Is it possible for a couple to forgive a kidnapper being the reason for their sons death or disappearance. The boys never found. How evil is the main character? This gives the film suspense in more than one way.

You want this film to be interesting, and it is. You want it to be exciting? Well, it is! You want a film to be heartfelt. It is! As well as highly believable, scary, thought provoking, romantic, disturbing... Well, it's all of that, just like "Hawaii, Oslo".

It is impossible not to like this film. What I find most interesting is Poppes experimenting through the film. The story is told both ways, which is very unusual on the big screen, and still this works great. It's actually adding to the excitement.

The actors do their job flawlessly, with Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen making a fabulous character. The rest is just as good, even the smallest kids. Many actors were cast for this, and Poppe himself says that the amount of great actors in Norway is the reason that there comes out so any great film from Norway now. - It makes it possible to make even more difficult movies in the future, Erik Poppe has said.

Well, being impressed with Poppe once more, I promise you a great two hours sitting down to watch this. This is why I love watching movies. What a treat!

While watching the movie, I felt that this is an exceptional movie and wondered why this movie does not figure along with the greats. Reminded me of 'Blue' for some reason.

Acting is superb and wonderfully subdued acting from the accused protagonist to contrast with the expressive hysterical acting from the mother.

The presentation is so very realistic and the plot is so original - never seen a story like this before.Technique of story telling took an interesting turn when the movie started presenting the same timeline in the life of the parents intersecting naturally and unobtrusively with the thread of the accused's life.

Certain pieces of organ music in the movie are very striking.

There are a few intimate scenes that have been very aesthetically presented. There is no background music whatsoever in the movie and it feels excellently real.

Towards the end of the movie, certain aspects did not fit perfectly. The maker wanted to make the central thread take one decisive knot but unfortunately the build up was slightly unnatural.So many unusual things happen in the movie but a very high percentage of these are explainable by the emotional plight of the protagonists.

Otherwise, it is a perfect screenplay.There is mastery in all the little little details.Very aesthetic.

Jan Thomas Hansen (Pål Sverre Hagen) is in prison for killing a child during his teens. He is released on parole and finds work as a church organist. He befriends the priest Anna and her young son. His victim's mother Agnes (Trine Dyrholm) accidentally spots him in the church as his troubled past resurfaces to cause chaos.

It has a slow plodding pace for most of the movie. The lead is playing the quiet character very close to the vest. It doesn't allow much tension into the first half of the movie. When Agnes is put into the movie, it is a bit of ticking clock for the audience as we wait for the inevitable confrontation. The first half already lays out what is going to happen in much of the second half. Maybe it went one step too far by telling us that the boy goes missing. Nevertheless there is a realism in the performances by both leads. The movie gets much more fascinating with the two characters on the same screen.

Brief summary of the first 20 minutes: Thomas, a young man gets released from prison. He had something to do with the disappearance of a young boy. He finds a job as an organ player in the church of the town where he used to live.

Pic deals with universal themes such as guilt, love, expression through music, faith, responsibility, loss of loved ones and the value of family. Although the setting and some references are Scandinavian, this is a story that could have taken place anywhere in the world. I think it can touch sensitive people across many cultures.

It may not be the most original, hip movie that I saw in the last year. I have seen elements of the story before, and the pace is calm.

However, the structure and high quality performances keep things interesting until the finale. Much of the quality of the lead actors comes from body language and non-verbal performances. Also the casting of the smaller adult parts and child actors is simply top.

Some scenes in the movie caused a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I was moved. The general tone of the movie is serious and sensitive, but director Erik Poppe also manages to keep the mood light and hopeful.

I'm a sucker for good movie scores. The music is breathtakingly wonderful. I have never been an avid fan of the organ, but this movie has the power to make people fall in love with this instrument. Much of what Thomas is going through is expressed through the music. It also helps the audience to get involved into this perhaps not so sympathetic, mysterious character. Also the non-organ part of the score by Johan Söderqvist is touching and effective. I had at times brief associations with the music of Philip Glass (but only briefly) and Thomas Newman.

So it is to my big surprise, that the soundtrack of this movie - now one year after the theater release in Norway - is still not available on CD. I found Scandinavian bluray and DVD-releases, but no OST. I hope that somebody can fix this, because this is one of those soundtracks that I would simply would want to play again and again.

In a nutshell, this film had some fantastic music, especially on the organ. It features great performance by Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen as Jan Thomas, a man imprisoned for a murder of a boy he says he didn't commit; Ellen Dorrit Petersen as Anna, the pastor he gets involved with; and Trine Dyrholm as Agnes, the mother of the murdered boy.

The film also features some incredible cinematography, and brilliant direction by Erik Poppe.

It is about redemption and forgiveness; about starting over after a heinous crime has been committed. The fact that Jan Thomas continues to have flashbacks makes us believe that he is not as innocent as he claims.

A beautiful film about lives gone wrong, and lives damaged by evil.