films seen
2
average score
3.25*
nationality
status
Alive and kicking

Movies


Next Door

Naboer
2005 / 75m - Norway
Thriller, Mystery
3.5*/5.0*
Next Door poster

One of those films I've been meaning to watch ever since it was released, but somehow never got around to. Next Door spearheaded the Norwegian leg of the European horror wave, though it's more of a psychological thriller with strong mystery elements and a dark undertone, which made people lump it together with the more prominent horror films.

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There's a bit of Lynch in here, also a bit of Reconstruction and maybe even some Bound. Sletaune's film feels more than a little derivate, but that's probably because he fails to uphold the mystery for the entire length of the film. Halfway through the clues become a bit too obvious, which kills part of the atmopshere.

The first half is cool though. Performances are strong and unsettling, the styling is on point and the mid-film climax is pretty tense. The length is also perfect, it's just a shame that the mindfuck never reaches its true potential and that the second half is a bit too quick to reveal the film's secrets. Still, worth a shot if you're looking for something disturbing and twisty.


Junk Mail

Budbringeren
1997 / 83m - Norway
Comedy, Thriller
3.0*/5.0*
Junk Mail poster

A cute, somewhat inconspicuous and forgotten Norwegian dark comedy that probably isn't quite as fun and/or impressive as on the day it was first released, but if you're looking for something funny with a darker/grittier edge, then you can't really go wrong with Junk Mail.

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Roy is an extremely unpleasant individual. He's a mailman who loves to snoop into other people's lives, because he doesn't really have a life on his own. When he meets Line, he falls in love with her, but he is unable to express his feelings directly, so he starts stalking her. This lands him into quite a bit of trouble.

The grim setting and unpleasant characters don't immediately scream comedy, but as Roy gets himself into more and more trouble it's obvious that we're supposed to have a laugh with his misfortunes. The performances are decent, the film is short and the plot spins nicely out of control. Good, but nothing too remarkable.