☆☆☆☆☆ 2/5
Genre : Thriller, Psychological
Director : Alain Darborg
Platform : Netflix
Nadja and David are having a troubled relationship after being together for a few years. Nadja has to work at home as her partner does a full-time job. She is frustrated because she never wanted to be a housewife and wanted to pursue a career as a doctor. To get things right, David takes her on a vacation to the Swedish mountains to see the Northern lights. When they reach their destination they get strange looks and encounter a couple of uncanny people. After that, they start getting hunted in a landscape full of snow.
The movie takes place in the beautiful Swedish mountains and the backdrop gives the story to play with the different elements of the place. The pitch-black night, snow mist are some elements that had so much opportunity for a thriller based in this area. However, the screenplay makes these scenes a little dull.
In a movie where the characters are chased by the killers, it is essential to make the killers threatening and scary, otherwise it drastically reduces the intensity of the thrill and this is what happened here. Though initially the people in the town looked sinister, the screenplay couldn’t take this forward. Blood and disturbing scenes are shown which increase the stress, but when the scene ends your anxiety dissolves into thin air. Moreover, when the two sides are fighting, we get engrossed in the fight only when the two sides are equally strong or at least the weaker side is making some progress, but it doesn’t happen here. Even when the protagonist receives some victories it feels like a child’s play.
The characters seem novice. Knowing that something is a bit out of place in the area, Nadja still takes revenge. ‘A scratch for a scratch’ is no more than an ill rational decision that makes the attachment to the character negligible.
I can digest the fact that a person can run for their life even after being shot. But what I can’t, is the fact that after multiple injuries how can a person survive and run. I know this is the point of this movie but with injuries they also have to tackle the extremely low temperatures, which seems impossible.
For the end, the plan is to give us a shocking climax that seems more like yet-another-twist of which some elements you can predict from the beginning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7FwypV69qc
An Indian reviewer who writes about horror and thriller movies/series. If not movies, he likes to pick up a mystery book to read. Some of his favourite movies/series include Stranger Things, Elite (S1-3), Train to Busan, Andhadhun, Strangers: Prey at Night.