Mørke

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 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.

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.

Watching "Mørke" is a tedious affair, especially given that the Danes are currently far ahead of the other Nordic countries when it comes to cinematic artistry. Why Jannik Johansen settled for such a monotonous narrative will be the actual great mystery of this film. "Mørke" is a highly generic thriller film, that doesn't even attempt at delivering some actual thrills or suspense for its viewers. The otherwise talented Nikolaj Lie Kaas seems uncomfortable venturing around the eponymous town, looking for answers to the death of his sister. While perhaps not outright uncomfortable for the audience, it definitely is a lackluster experience.

I wasn't exactly sure quite what happened in this film. The more I thought about it the more murky it got.

The film begins with some obscure quote from philosopher Albert Camus who apparently propounds the idea that the we struggle to seek meaning in a meaningless world.

Perhaps I struggle to believe in the irrational story. I assume that this really was a film about suicide and assisting or facilitating suicide.

Ankers parents may have been assisted towards their demise. Anker seems compelled to help people to slip their mortal coil. But what are the chances that every young female disabled person he meets seeks to end their own life. Or that they would all choose to commit suicide on their wedding day. To him. In the bath. It is so unlikely that if this did ever happen then actually they must all have been murdered. Did he kill them or didn't he?

The one person who definitely did kill someone by stabbing them was subsequently allowed to go free? I struggle to come to terms with the central absurdity of the film. Are we supposed to believe or have doubts?

I think we are supposed to find shock in the murky and abhorrent notion of the suicide of those closest to us, that we then realise that we didn't really know.

It would have been better with only two victims instead of four. With four, the central concept collapses under the weight of improbability. Otherwise it is a well made film.