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Camerawork is distinctive, often leaving action and people outside of the frame or at awkward angles to create an offbeat point-of-view. Extremely long takes require actors to often stand motionless for extended periods. It's in these silences that Sukhitashvili deepens Nina's persona as a woman with a compelling mix of certainty and doubt. Her inscrutable expression continues as she bluntly propositions a stranger or silently stalks David, a remarkably open-handed performance by Kintsurashvili.

This film pulls us in, provokes intense thoughts and opinions, then alienates us with impenetrable sequences. Kulumbegashvili has a tremendous eye for visual impact, contrasting shadowy darkness with fields of bright flowers, and combining them in a spectacular long shot of a marauding thunderstorm. The depiction of a male-dominated society that uses religion to control women is both harrowing and vitally important, largely because the people on-screen feel so bracingly real. These sporadic sparks of resonance create a vivid sense of urgency.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

26.Feb.25

The actors find naturalistic rhythms together, in between other more heightened sequences. In the beginning, Saracho and Kuri play Sebastian and Arsenio as a cute couple oblivious to the pressures around them. So where they both go is downright bleak. They play these scenes with honesty that adds strong resonance, although this also makes it tricky to root for them, especially when the cruel jealousy goes way over the top. Meanwhile, Lacko unflinchingly reveals the charismatic Mikael's predatory nature.

As things heat up, Sebastian and Arsenio promise not to let things at work interfere with their relationship. But of course they do, in rather harrowing ways. This is an intriguing exploration of the tension between personal and professional lives, as well as more insidious things like abusive behaviour of people in power. So the big climactic moment feel both overly pointed and a bit enigmatic, as the feelings become rather murky. But it remains intriguing and involving right to the dramatic final shot.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

14.Apr.25

Performances have a cartoonish quality that matches the film's over-the-top comical sensibilities, even as things get astonishingly, explicitly gruesome. Myren manages to be likeable as the doe-eyed Elvira, who's so badly treated that it's no wonder she's willing to do whatever it takes to be popular. Loch Naess, Dahl Torp and Fagerli are also able to create nicely rounded characters with their own inner lives, including distinct views of themselves.

While the Cinderella plot is largely intact, complete with some magical realism, everything is grounded in these lavish but grotty castles. Blichfeldt has fun with the unnerving grisliness, lurid sexuality and revolting climactic nastiness, but everything has a sharp point, satirising the lengths we go to to make ourselves both fit in and stand out. The way all of this plays out may seem a bit obvious, but it leaves us shaken in the most entertaining way.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

17.Apr.25