Thale

Nordic Noir may be all the rage at the moment, and The Killing and The Bridge are indeed impressive achievements. But Thale proves the old Scandinavians are no slouch when it comes to horror movies either... although this particular one isn't the 'quake in your frilly knickers' sort.

Instead, it provides a fascinating insight on what might happen if an 'alien' creature was kept prisoner by a well-meaning scientist, and the resulting fallout when two men hired to clean out the property find her, after said egghead dies. She demonstrates incredible power, psychic abilities and weird eating habits, but there are some ruthless people after her who'll let nothing stand in their way. Alongside members of her own race, who want her back...

It ain't thrill a minute, but the plot and performances are of sufficient quality to keep one hooked, and even moving in some cases. Being short in length helps too, keeping unnecessary padding at bay for the most part. Special mention must go to Silje Reinamo, who not only convinces as a sympathetic extraterrestrial creature, but bravely hops around starkers for half the duration. Oops, hope I haven't unwittingly attracted the wrong sort of audience with that revelation... 6/10

lots of sci-fi,s start slow,then pick up speed.This Nordic thriller starts off with a bang,and actually gets better.Being into folklore from anywhere,i had heard of this film,and after a bit of a wait,i got to check it out.I was very pleased.As many people here in the states may remember, a year ,or so ago,a movie sorta like this came out.Not even close.This story is a good one,with great acting,interesting plot,and fx. i love a good sci-fi,and on that note,i was happy,but this story is good,simple to follow,gripping,and well told(a very good "tail" )-all in all ,a solid 6-pop some corn,grab a cold drink,and just watch.Enjoy !

Just finished watching Thale and found myself more than impressed. Made on a shoe string budget by rising Norwegian director Aleksander Nordaas, the film explores the huldra a mythical being from Nordic folklore. Without giving anything away I will just say that the acting, especially that of the very beautiful Silje Reinåmo in the title role, was excellent for such a low budget picture. The CGI and cinematography in the movie also impressed offering another breathtaking view of the Norwegian countryside. The film is let down slightly by some holes in the storyline and ultimately by the ending which I found could have been done so much better. This said Thale is an excellent example of what an imaginative director can fulfill within the confines of a small budget.

very nice little sleeper of a film. The actress who plays the title character is simply beautiful. It's a understated bit of cinema, with some very nice shots. Beautiful landscapes and nice camera work.

I have a big issue with people comparing this to Troll Hunter. I get that they're both from Norway and focus on Norwegian folklore. However, to say that Troll Hunter is great and this is not is like saying apples are great while pears are not. You simply cannot compare the two.

I believe that Thale had roughly one third of Troll Hunters budget, yet its very beautiful. Again, if you're looking for bombast, Troll Hunter has that... but this is a quite good film.

After seeing the first teaser of Thale I wasn't expecting very much of this Norwegian low budget film which is a mix of the genres crime, drama, gore and adventure. The more I got surprised by seeing the film at the cinema.

'Thale' is based on a mythical character in Norwegian folklore called 'Huldra'. A hulder is a beautiful young woman living in water in the dark woods, louring men into the water with them, getting attention with their heavenly singing. This folklore came from warning kids to stay away from waters, back in the ancient times. A hulder looks just like a woman, except you tell it's a hulder by her tail.

The film opens with some rather disgusting scenes, really preparing you on something the film isn't - gory. Two crime scene washers comes to a cottage out in the deep woods. It's a long time since I've seen such a start of a film involving blood, stiff body and puking. But the film soon changes more into a thriller when the two men find i cellar looking like a serial killers office. Then they discover Thale...

It's easy to see that this film is low budget, but there's much talent here. Silje Reinåmo (Thale) is very good, and the CGI is handled well. Norwegian folklore suits CGI great. With more work on the script, this could easily have been a classic like "TrollHunter".

Far from perfect, but I'll give a 6/10 for the talent and the difference. I'd like to see more on a larger budget and a more thorough script.