Vikaren

One might be ready to believe a film about Middle School children to be a Ghost House movie. But, this isn't about Middle School children, it is about the substitute teacher in the 6th grade class.

The students know right away that something isn't right, but it isn't until later that they discover just what is wrong. Of course, their parents don't believe them, and it is up to the kids, one in particular, Carl (Jonas Wandschneider), to save the others. Of course, Carl is the least likely student to save the day as he lost his mother in a car accident and has not gotten past it.

The film has first rate acting by Paprika Steen as the substitute teacher, outstanding cinematography, lots of black humor, a slam on psychology and parents who don't trust in their children, and some really fascinating special effects.

I am really impressed with Ole Bornedal, who wrote and directed this film and look forward to his new films.

A quite simple kids movie plot gets elevated to hilarious heights by the truly inspired casting of Paprika Steen as Ulla Harms, the substitute who dares to say and do all the things some of the more cynical teachers in this world only dream of. Steen's trademark Dogme-trained nuanced, natural acting this time only serves as a masquerade for a flat-out over-the-top monster, and you can see how much wicked fun she has switching between those two faces, proving her impressive emotional outbursts and character quirks to be nothing but a cold, calculated lie within the blink of an eye.

The other actors do fine, too, as only Danish actors can. The kids are not annoying, even if they have to scream and be cute occasionally. Our hero Carl manages to be a sympathetic if troubled young man, my only nit-picking being that he might be a bit too self-consciously handsome to really convince as the class weirdo and outsider. Also, his love story with the new girl remains a bit under-developed. But hey, they're teenagers, love comes and goes quickly at that age, I guess.

The film is a great fun romp from start to finish, never buried under the weight of its kid-friendly message, and comes highly recommended. As stated before, Paprika Steen deserves prizes and kudos for what she does. And Ole Bornedal keeps the promise he made with Nightwatch. Mainstream family cinema doesn't get much better than this.

P.S.: The only real letdown: right at the beginning of the end credits there is a high school prom dance scene that is totally out of tune with the rest of the film. It's as if the filmmakers wanted to be 'cool' with the young audience in a way the film otherwise thankfully doesn't feel the need to be.

The films opening scene explains that aliens know only war. Their goal is to learn about and understand the human emotion of love. In attempt to do just that, they send a sphere that lands on a deserted chicken farm. They take over the body of a farmers wife who reports to work as a grade six school teacher. Paprika Steen who plays the teacher is fantastic. She plays the wickedly nasty teacher with over the top enthusiasm and absolutely nails it. It is one of the most amusing and entertaining characters I have seen in a horror film in some time. The kids figure out almost immediately that there is something not quite right about their new teacher. She taunts and humiliates the children with insults and appears to have the answer to every question. The more they learn about their new teacher the more horrified they become. The first half of this film is rock solid. A real masterpiece. Unfortunately the films conclusion is a complete and utter crap-out. The ending seemed hurried and the finale was anti-climatic to say the least. It is intended to be more amusing than horrifying but it would have been appropriate to add a little more suspense, particularly for the final scene. There is no gore in this film and no scares at all. There are only a few isolated moments of suspense. This being said this film is still extremely watchable and I think that people who aren't generally fans of the horror genre will also enjoy it. More "PG" than our regular fair but some really good clean fun!

Here's a refreshing delightful horror-spoof from Denmark. Usually parents tend to say no to their kids when it comes to horror movies but with 'Vikaren' they should make an exception as it would be wrong to deprive children from the sheer entertaining experience of this film. Yet, this film isn't restricted to children as adults can easily enjoy it. Ole Bornedal and Henrik Prip have written a superb screenplay meshing it with both humour, irony and horror while telling a linear story. The washed out colours and score bring that horror movie feel. The cinematography and special effects are topnotch. Then there's the outstanding performance of Paprika Steen as Ulla Harms. The use of a lesser actress could have easily ruined the film. Steen beautifully carries the role very naturally and with an amazing balance between restraint and over-the-top acting she just proves what a masterful actress she is. The child actors also do a good job. 'Vikaren' is sheer fun and one of the best examples of family entertainment. It doesn't go over the top in delivering its message while maintaining a fine gradient such that both adults and children could enjoy it to the full.

If this would have been an American movie, the monster would have been silly, the parents understandable in their gullibility and the kids more concerned with their social standing. Also, anything scary would have probably been removed and the film would have been a Disney production.

Well, they do things differently in Denmark, so they have some smart kids, with a complex relationship dynamic, completely ignorant parents that only believe what suits them best (especially when it comes to their children fantasies) and the monster is both fairly benign, totally scary and absolutely alien.

The film is thus suitable for both parents and children, although I would call it more a family film with horrorish specks, and even if the whole "planet without love" thing was too corny and not very related to the rest of the film, the movie is watchable and enjoyable. At least I liked it.