Babycall

THE MONITOR stars Noomi Rapace as Anna, a mother who is in hiding in order to keep her son safe from his abusive father. This all seems straightforward, but it's not.

Anna may be suffering from some severe mental issues that cloud the situation dramatically. Much of what occurs could be real or illusory. We're given pieces of the puzzle, only to have the puzzle itself continue to expand.

This film has an icy sense of dread and uneasiness right out of the gate. Anna lives in an enormous, box-like apartment complex set in a terminally grey atmosphere of heavy, perpetual gloom.

Ms. Rapace is fantastic in her harried, paranoiac role. She elicits both sympathy and a touch of fear from the viewer.

If you enjoy suspenseful, psychological-thrillers filled with mystery, then this should keep you guessing until the end...

I came to Babycall really not knowing anything much at all about the film. Half way through I was just about ready to give up on it. As an ex-teacher I'm really not that much into films about over-possessive, paranoid, helicopter parents doting over their frequently brattish offspring. I've been there, done that, enough times to last way more than this lifetime. And that's what Babycall seemed to be about. Noomi Rapace playing (against her famed Lisbeth Solander persona) this demented, self-possessed single mother of an 8 year-old boy, attempting to escape the legal clutches of an unseen, supposedly violent father, with the very much qualified assistance of a couple of children's services officers.

Let's be clear here too, that Rapace is very convincing in the role which has her onscreen, a great deal of the first half of this Norwegian film, which is probably better summed up by its US title "The Monitor". Ever so gradually some unexpected supernatural elements are added to this dysfunctional family drama to change the substance and core elements of the film completely. Crucial to this slow-burning metamorphosis is the role of Kristoffer Joner who plays an electrical appliances retail salesperson, who appears somewhat oddly sympathetic to the mother's continual quandaries.

I don't wish to spoil much more of the narrative, except to say that's it's pretty clear that even a number of reviewers on these pages haven't fully understood Helge's (Joner) role, or abilities, in what plays out. If they had they wouldn't be rabbiting on about plot holes that don't exist. Suffice to say the third act of Babycall contains a couple of doozy little twists that I certainly (thankfully) never saw coming and which completely change the complexion of earlier parts of the film and the way we may have initially viewed them.

Director Pål Sletaune deserves plaudits for the way he has constructed Babycall. It's a creepily intriguing movie, but one that eschews the cinematic traditions of nocturnal, dimly-lit scenes and haunting soundtracks. Much of the action takes place during the day in rather brightly lit buildings and rooms. He seems to have gone out of his way to turn on its head, the way one might go about filming a supernatural/horror tale and he does so, very successfully.

I'm only mildly surprised that Hollywood hasn't come calling seeking the rights to the inevitable remake. This is a very fine movie, but one that I think has just too much subtlety and nuance for North American audiences ( the IMDB rating of 5.7 is indicative of what I'm saying) seeking an adrenaline burst of quick thrills, dominating sound and explosive action set pieces. Make sure you watch till the end.

Babycall is a sparse psychological mystery / thriller by writer / director Pal Sletaune, centred on a convincing and naturalistic performance by Noomi Rapace, with excellent support from Kristopher Joner as her character's awkward admirer and Vetle Qvenild Werring as her son Anders. As a claustrophobic mood piece, it is effective, and Rapace gives an accomplished performance, as should be expected by those who know her work. Events are bleak and the central character is troubled, and it is not a comfortable watch, but ultimately likely to be somewhat satisfying for fans of the genre, if perhaps only for the central performances, since horror is not a word that sits well in its description.

This is the tag-line of much awaited new film from Pål Sletaune (behind the great films "Naboer", "Amatørene" and "Budbringeren") is starring Noomi Rapace and Kristoffer Joner. Seven years since "naboer" or in English "next door", we get a film with similar ideas - a look into disturbed or distorted minds.

Single mother Anna moves with her 8 year old son to a big flat with secret address outside Oslo to get away from her violent husband. Anna is scared stiff that they will be found, and is under heavy watch by a couple of child care workers. She get's the idea of buying a baby call so that her son doesn't have to sleep in her bed, only to find that the baby call picks up another troubled child somewhere in the flat. Anna is really on the edge, and maybe her imagination is playing her as well!?

This psychological thriller goes under your skin in the sympathy for Anna and the other troubled minds in this film. You want her to relax, but still understand how difficult it is when you trust no one.

Really great play by Rapace. She gets under your skin. The film is slow paced in a couple of periods, only to speed up at times, just as real life would be in such a situation. The film is not like you think it will be, so this is not your standard thriller. I still think I'd like another ending to this, though maybe not happy...

Well Sletaune can put another great film under his belt. Always worthwhile and interesting to get sucked into his stories. Well done!

Wonder why nobody didn't compare this to the Japanese horror classic "Dark water".. The setting is kind of the same.. I loved Dark water, and I liked Babycall as well, even though it was a i bit more messy, and the plot felt a little too "constructed".. But its still good.. Noomi Rapage is great in the role of a young mother on the verge of mental breakdown.. As in many new age horror movies we have a mother moving into a suburban ghetto apartment, after having troubles with her ex husband abusing their son (just like in Dark water).. She hears some strange screams on her baby alarm, and the story starts to unfold.. The atmosphere and the puzzle is well made, but the plot to easy figure in big terms.. Screenplay and acting is good.. Story a bit too mainstream for my taste, but still thrilling at times for sure.. Noomi Rapage does a very good job, lots of tension.. The sceneries and the suspense works, but I missed a little originality to the story.. But bottom line, and enjoyable ride, that could have been better with a more simply story.. A little too many threads for it own good.. Still i give it 7 cause, its well done and I am a sucker for subttle slow semi horror movies...