Border

This one was a weird one but it worked on the level. Felt like watching a horror and romantic comedy that in the end felt like something completely different.

This is a weird one, in a good way. The closest thing I could compare it to is Eraserhead or Basketcase, and much like those films it's best viewed not knowing anything about it going in. Definitely a lot of growth here for writer John Lindqvist of 'Let the Right One In' fame. He really knows how to create a modern fairy tale through minimalism and his Swedish sensibilities really translate well for this story. All the performances here are terrific, especially the lead actress. I was also blown away by the prosthetic work, it's some of the best I've ever seen. Accolades aside I thought the cinematography left much to be desired and the story to be a bit predictable at points. Definitely not a film for everyone, and I'd have a hard time recommending it to most.

I recommend this to anyone that loves weird films, because this is certainly one of them!

Gripping throughout, dark, good story and performances, unpredictable, very original.

A high 7/10!

If you liked the Norwegian movies Troll hunter or Thale, you'll also like this Swedish-Danish co-production, which has been a festival hit at both Cannes and Karlovy Vary, and probably a lot more festivals to come. You could say the Swedes and Danes seem inspired by the folkloric tales from Norwegian directors, having huge success the latter years.

Saw this at the screening in the Thermal grand hall (cap. 1150) and hardly any went away during the showing, due to the this film being quite captivating.

Border (Originally: Gräns) first appears to be a drama about an odd looking and rather strange woman in her late thirties with a seemingly unique talent in semlling fear, and she has a suitable job as a customs inspector at a Swedish ferry port. She can sniff out guilt, shame, fear and rage. Off-duty, she is a loner, loving quietness in the woods close to her rural home, with a redneck living with her, in separate beds, and she visits her seemingly half demented father in a nursing home. But one day she meets a man which looks surprisingly like her.

This is only the beginning, as the film now takes a slide into a different genre.

Director is Ali Abbassi, who has the equally strange concepts before in the movie Shelley. Well directed and well played. This is far from being a comedy, but there are many funny moments and the audience had huge outburst of laughter.

The title "Border" is really well suited in all ways. Very much recommended, and really something else.

This is undoubtedly one of the strangest films I've ever seen, and although I cannot fault Border for being an original and striking piece, I can't say that it's the most enthralling film ever made either. Despite a unique and quirky premise, the film doesn't quite have the same depth in its originality, while some of its more disturbingly weird moments come across as a little too unpleasant, failing to wrap you up in the sense of bizarre wonder that could have made it a little more special.

So, the story revolves around a woman who works as a border agent, and her life as she experiences differences with those around her, as well as developing a bond with a more similar man. With a lot of prosthetic make-up, Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff are transformed into rather brutish-looking people, but through their strange, almost animal-like behaviour throughout, they begin to feel closer and closer.

That's the part of the movie that works well - the sheer bewilderment you feel at watching two people act in the least human manner possible, and the intrigue that that breeds as you attempt to figure what on earth they really are, and why they act in such a strange way. It's a unique idea that the film pushes forward with confidence and persistence, and it definitely makes Border a striking watch throughout.

However, while it's an interesting and equally confusing film from the start, Border hits a little bit of a roadblock about halfway through, as it runs out of surprises to keep you enticed and weirded-out to the same extent as its opening act.

Moving at an incredibly slow pace, the film resists giving you too much information about the true nature of these two characters, but after a while, it just becomes a point of frustration rather than intrigue. And then when you do get somewhat more of a reveal, the film is then completely out of ideas and mystery for the remainder of its runtime, failing to engross you with any sense of wonderment in a final act that's a lot more unpleasant than it is mystical.

And that's my other big problem with Border: it's just a bit too weird. At its heart, the film tells a story about accepting and understanding who you truly are, but that central theme really pales in comparison to the stranger surface of the movie. However, in an attempt to keep surprising and intriguing you, the film goes all out with some of the most bizarre elements of drama and even fantasy, to the point where it actually becomes a little disturbing, and extremely uncomfortable.

Overall, then, I found Border an intriguing and immensely bewildering film. Starting strongly with a vague yet original premise, the film does unfortunately fall apart due to a lack of real depth, a painfully slow pace, and a disturbing desire to show the weirdest things it can possibly think of. It's a unique film that did grab me, but it's definitely not for everyone.