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Quote:

Zombies are the middle children of the otherworldly family. Vampires are the oldest brother who gets to have a room in the attic, all tripped out with a disco ball and shag carpet. Werewolves are the youngest, the babies, always getting pinched and told they're cute. With all that attention stolen away from the middle child zombie, no wonder she shuffles off grumbling, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha."

- Kevin James Breaux

Monday, August 24, 2015

Film Review: THALE (2012)



Writer/director Aleksander Nordaas explores Norwegian folklore in his film Thale (2012) in which two cleaning people Elvis & Leo (Erlend Nervold and Jon Sigve Skard, respectfully) stumble upon the secret hidden in the basement of their current job.  The two men get more than what they bargained for when Thale (Silje Reinamo) appears out of nowhere.  The men don’t know how to communicate with her but they do know that something is strange about her and it is only through the tapes and documentation left behind by Hvittkledd (Morten Andesen) that they learn the truth about what she is but time is running out as there are people looking for Thale and Elvis and Leo will find themselves caught in the middle of something they don’t truly understand. 

Thale is a fantasy horror film that tries to base everything in reality which is very similar to how fairies were treated in the film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010).  This is more of a dramatic horror film that does an excellent job creating realistic characters thrown into a situation that they do understand and how they deal with it.  Reinamo is especially effective as Thale as most of her performance relies on body language and subtle mannerisms.

Despite being completely in a singular location Nordaas makes great use of the space which is anchored by amazing art direction and set design that says so much about the world that Thale lives in especially when she communicates so little to Elvis and Leo.  There is so much that is visually communicated creating a very rich and atmospheric film.  This is definitely a film to seek out if you’ve never heard of it and you want to take a chance on something different and unique.

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