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.

Film Review: DEAD SEASON (2012)

With the zombie genre being one of the most popular for low budget independent film-makers the dearth of quality films is apparent and from the start Dead Season (2012) would seem to be one of those films but this film strives to give audiences more than just the common group of strangers trapped in a single location trying to survive the zombie plague.  Instead, we get Elvis (Scott Peat) and Tweeter (Marissa Merrill) who find themselves unlikely companions trying to find a safe haven in a world filled with the undead.  They soon find shelter with a group of military personnel stranded on an island which will provide them with safety and a means of survival until they discover that this haven has secrets of its own. 

The film is far from original borrowing liberally from everything from Day of the Dead (1985) to 28 Days Later (2002) but it does have a few twists and turns that keep the film at least interesting.  The other thing is that Peat makes for an interesting and conflicted Elvis which is rare for these types of films and every though the acting in the film suffers as a whole, Peat knows when to be serious and when to be funny preventing the film from becoming a campy mess (which it could have easily become).    Written by Joshua Klausner and Adam Deyoe (who also directs) Dead Season may lack the punch of other indie zombie films but it makes up for it by being a far more interesting one.

The film is not perfect as it lacks any real drive for most of the film other than it being about two people trying to find a safe haven (something we’ve seen many, many times before) and it doesn’t really get interesting until they get to the island but Elvis is an interesting character because he comes off as an everyman instead of a “typical hero” who has to see and discover the truth for himself.  Seeing the world through his eyes allows the audience to step into familiar shoes.  The film may not make any bests lists but it’s not a bad way to waste ninety minutes.