Den osynlige

I was bored a night several weeks ago, when this movie turned up on a channel when I flicked by. I missed a little bit of the start, but something in it caught my attention. It had something in it worth continuing watching. Maybe it was the "odd" gangster (Tuva Novotny) in her hood? And am I glad I watched it until the end. The story is very beautiful, sad, heartbreaking and emotion-gripping at the same time. It is amazing what the performers and the directors created out of such a small budget.

The most amazing part in the movie for me, was still how cunningly you start having good feelings for the villain. Small, subtle changes and all of a sudden, you feel really sad for the "wrong" character.

All in all, a movie worth watching, even for those of you who don't like subtitles, since you can still feel the characters strongly through their voice tones and body language.

I've never felt the urge to comment on any film in my life... although this film moved me in a way that doesn't equate in words. What appeared as a simple movie, quickly became a masterpiece of dialogue, emotion and acting that as a teenager echoed deeply. I could relate to its main character and the last 30 mins had me sitting on the edge of my seat and wishing it would be a Hollywood ending!!! Just if wishes could come true!! It might not be a movie for everyone, but for me I can say it will have to be one of the best movies I have ever seen and tomorrow I am going straight into town, to search for the DVD.. I am a fan of the film, a fan of the director and a fan of the actors!! Its rare you find a film that can touch you, but this one did... I just hope someone watches it and agrees with me.. A must see if your a fan of a movie with a bit of brains and a lot of ummphf!!

Of course a movie as good as this would spawn a US remake. I have not watched that one yet, but I can attest that this is really well made. Some viewers may have issues because morally speaking there is as lot to digest. Our lead/main character has issues, some self inflicted some laid upon him by others - though he does not deal with them the best way.

He is flawed is what I am trying to say. As is the supposed villain here - but how villainous is she? We even feel for her at times, seeing how she grew up, under what circumstances she lives under. It still is clear that she does things way wrong ... so wrong there may not be an inch of an excuse for her.

But the movie would not be as complex, if it just gave you black and white, right and wrong and however else you like to easily sort things. Things can be explained ... things can understood .. that does not make them one thing or another. As with life (and death) this is way more complex ... and better for it. Suspend your disbelief and be thrilled.

Being from Australia, not much news of Swedish films reach our shores. I had no idea about this one or the book it is based upon. I simply caught it while flicking the channels one day. It looked interesting, so I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.

I absolutely adored this film. From the outset I found the main actor, Gustaf Skarsgard, very intriguing. I was surprised to find out this was his first major film role, he handled it perfectly. Never over the top, never underwhelming, just right.

I didn't pick the twist up in this film right away. I'm usually quick with those sorts of things, but it just didn't strike me that there would be a twist at all until it actually occurred. The feeling you get when it dawns just drums up the excitement and tempo of the film, when you suddenly realise that yes, there is something at stake here.

I also loved the very unHollywood ending. This film turned all those cliches about - characters you were meant to hate were ones you ended up feeling the most for, and the 'friend' who you usually feel sympathy for ends up doing nothing but drawing out your anger. It's rare that the real villian of a piece (especially a female one) becomes a sort of hero towards the end, and it can be confusing. But for me it worked well, and added real dimension to what would have otherwise just been a good film, not a great one.

The combination of great acting, real emotion and the eventual twist (or two) it what makes this movie so brilliant for me, and an instant favourite. Highly recommended.

Swedish film generally remains in stating the obvious and sticking to the conventions of the time, but then there are those rare exceptions, reaching an unforeseen level. 'Invisible' is one of those few. A splendid achievement by the team Bergvall and Sandquist in their first full-length movie.

A couple of years ago they got an Academy Awards nomination in the short film category, for 'Victor', also on the grave theme of death. 'Invisible' is based on a novel by the Swedish writer Mats Wahl, a mighty storyteller.

This story is indeed mighty. A high school senior, bound by his mother's high expectations, is beaten up brutally, due to a misunderstanding, by a delinquent girl of his age, and left for dead. When he comes to school the next day, he finds that everybody ignores him, as if he had become invisible. Soon, he realizes that he really is.

This slight ingredient of the paranormal, makes the story rise to a mythical magnitude, and the film makers, as well as the actors, manage to keep it there, to explore the grand perspectives suddenly appearing. Still, the very concrete psychological drama continues, and intensifies.

It all amounts to one formidably gripping experience, not easily forgotten. There are, of course, clear links to 'Sixth Sense' and a number of other movies about the mysterious borderland between life and death, and the necessity for our lives to reach some kind of conclusion, some kind of harmony, before passing on.

If searching for them, one can find some small weaknesses - like the unnecessary presence of a gun, or the inability of the dialogue to deal with those profound existential questions - but that's easily forgotten in the very touching and beautiful whole of the film, and more so after its uncompromising and magnificent ending.