Mistério na Vila

I watched this movie on late night TV because Nikolaj Lie Kaas headed the cast; he is always astounding, and gives such rounded, often so-believable-it's-painful, performances. Then on to the screen walked Nicolas Bro (as Anker, the serial wedder) and I knew this would be a film worth staying up late for. Bro can walk that fine line between comfortingly believable nice guy and crazy nut job, so that one is forever questioning judgements formed about his character's true motives. His physical size alone is at once both reassuring and threatening.

There are layers to this excellent, but dark story which are still emerging for me. Kaas' character is drawn into a search for how his beloved sister, disabled from an earlier suicide attempt, could have suicided on her wedding night to the (decidedly creepy) Anker. So many times I wanted to scream at Kaas 'Go home - you really don't want to be going there!!' as he relentlessly pursued the truth about his sister's death.

I was always aware that Nikolaj Lie Kaas' parents had each suicided, and so this film would have been a necessary, and perhaps cathartic experience for him. I hadn't known that the Danes were a death-denying country, but perhaps this is a feature of all Western countries, as we go about kidding ourselves that we're happy, and that we'll surely live forever! Death and death-denial are favourite subjects of mine, so this film spoke to me at a deeper level than it may for other viewers.

Don't let the subject matter put you off. This is a truly remarkable film, and is worth seeing, just for the performances alone.

I would say I like dramatic thrillers a lot - particularly when events are happening in a real life, not in someone's head. If a confrontation arises between main personalities, it provides additional value to the film. In Mørke, the respective atmosphere and preconditions are capably created, but the main opposition is not equal: Jacob (vigorously performed by Nicolaj Lie Kaas, at least 1 additional point from me due to him) is much stronger and versatile character than "soft" Anker (Nicolas Bro) and the reasons for the latter's actions could have been different than appeared in the end (with a decent twist, however). Or perhaps I am more interested in materially motivated actions than spiritually.

The film is undoubtedly for you if uneasiness, gloom and doubts throughout the film are important and long moving scenes do not become boring.

So it's a case of "is he or isn't he a murderer". Totally predictable. There is some tension which is I guess is interesting but you know at the end that the protagonist, Jacob, is in for a rough time. When it gets to the point where he is being accused of Hanne's murder it's just stupid - Hanne was screaming so you must have killed her - accusation by the police. When Jacob could easily have stated that Hanne did not want to be saved - that was just irritating beyond belief and downright lazy on the writer's/director's part. Jacob, a journalist, supposedly intelligent goes alone to us to a suspected murders house not once, not twice, not three what about five times. What also has to wonder if the police officer is dodgy or not, but that was all a bit contrived as well. Would only passible acting , I would say that this is want to miss.

I like psychological thrillers...Danish films are good at that. Movie to think about and dwell on tomorrow...and then let it go.

Acting is great, photography and ambient is nice, but the story becomes just ridiculously and absurdly stupid somewhere around the middle of the film.

Not just that the main character behaves as a total idiot ( I won't say more, as I don't want this review to have a spoiler but you'll get it) but also all the other characters behave like brainless crowd.