Very Interesting watch. I wrestled with this one a bit. This film was fearless, it could’ve easily gone down a very campy and disingenuous path but the film was extremely grounded and committed given its more fantastical subject matter.
This is a very dark fairytale of sorts. I found myself cringing from scenes I felt were gratuitous but I think that was the point. It wasn’t much more gratuitous in contrast to other movies involving a more normal central relationship. The film doesn’t care about your biases or what you think is taboo. It’s a story about self confidence and acceptance, finding strength in your perceived flaws, and it’s told in a very dark context.
The film was shot competently utilizing natural locations and emphasizing a very shallow depth of field in the more intimate scenes. It is bouyed by a strong performance from Eva Milander who has to alternate between shy vulnerability and powerful with primal outbursts. The effects were also very convincing and felt necessarily natural.
I did feel the film dragged a little in the 2nd act. There is a detective subplot in the film that deals with some extremely dark subject matter that I don’t think, after watching, was entirely necessary. It didn’t bother or upset me at all but I feel like that subject matter should serve a more thematic or character driven purpose. In this it just felt like a needlessly excessive plot device. I had trouble buying some character motivations leading into the third act. It is definitely worth a watch for its ambition.
