September's Film of the Month: Troll Hunter
I'm a huge fan of modern Nordic cinema: 'Let the Right One In' and 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' are two of my favourite films of recent years; Lars von Trier impresses me by continuously challenging conventions and boundaries; and Aki Kaurismäki is a genius (I'm eagerly awaiting the release of his latest social drama, 'Le Havre').
I recently watched a Finnish comedy called 'Lapland Odyssey' - an entertaining adventure filled with gorgeous scenery and beautifully dark humour. Another film suitably Scandinavian in style and tone, which also happens to offer some breathtaking mountain views, is André Øvredal's 'Troll Hunter'.This Norwegian thriller is the latest entry in the "lost footage" genre. You know the drill: a group of student film-makers mysteriously disappear leaving behind their tapes...blah, blah, blah...what you're about to see really happened...blah, blah, blah. But, while clearly influenced by the likes of 'The Blair Witch Project' and 'Cloverfield', this is an original work and, unlike its predecessors, maintains, for the most part, a strong sense of realism and plausibility.
The student film-makers, who we know from the very start won't make it to the end credits, are a reasonably likeable bunch (the fact they're not American teenagers really helps) and Otto Jespersen plays the "heroic" title character as a cynical, semi-reluctant government pawn, risking his life for a paltry wage. Everything we see is from the point of view of the students' camera, including scenes where the camera is being white-balanced and a five minute sequence shot through a cracked lens. Moments like these assist the director's aim of verisimilitude.
The trolls themselves are impressive creations. The design and visual effects team deserve a huge amount of credit for bringing these mythical creatures to life and making them both threatening and sympathetic. The battle between humans and trolls is not a straightforward case of good versus evil, with questions raised about mankind's interference with the natural world.
While the film is played straight, its tongue is clearly lodged firmly in its cheek. But it never descends into broad comedy because the humour is incredibly subtle and very, very dark. To quote Nigel Tufnel in 'This is Spinal Tap', "How much more black could this be? The answer is...none!"
