Cast: Reidar Sørensen, Gaute Skjegstad, Trond Høvik, Stig Henrik Hoff, Laila Goody, Simon Norrthon
Director: Karin Julsrud
Producer: Finn Gjerdrum
Screenplay: Finn Gjerdrum, Kjetil Indregard
Cinematography: Philip Øgaard
Music: Kjetil Bjerkestrand, Magne Furuholmen
U.S. Distributor: USA Films
In Norwegian with subtitles
It has take Karin Julsrud's Norwegian import, Bloody Angels, an extraordinarily long time to reach U.S. theater screens, especially considering that the motion picture was purchased by USA films some sixteen months ago. In fact, this harrowing murder mystery/psychological thriller was the best motion picture I saw at the 2000 edition of the Sundance Film Festival. The controversial nature of the subject matter is the primary reason why Bloody Angels has rested on the shelf for so long; even now, USA Films is being unusually tentative in discussing their release plans for the movie.
Tough and uncompromising in its look at human nature and vigilantism, Bloody Angels offers a devastating, double-pronged climax that illustrates the potentially horrifying consequences of divorcing justice from law. The film also offers a window into the mindset of children who perpetuate fatal violence upon other children. In the wake of Columbine and other schoolyard shootings, it's almost surprising that an American distributor has taken a chance on this film, which will offend viewers who don't want to be taken where Julsrud transports us.
At the beginning, Bloody Angels has the look and feel of a traditional murder mystery. In the rural town of Hotten, Oslo expert detective Nicholas Ramm (Reidar Sørensen) arrives to help the local police solve a disturbing crime. Despite his reputation, he is an outsider, and is regarded with a strong measure of suspicion. A young girl with Down's syndrome has been raped and murdered and now one of her two suspected killers is dead. Ramm gets to work, but finds his investigation stymied on all sides. Not even the local police are willing to help. Meanwhile, he befriends Niklas (Gaute Skjegstad), the lonely younger brother of the dead suspect, and tries to protect him from the unwarranted cruelty directed towards him by the townspeople.
As one might infer from the subject matter, this is not a happy story. In fact, it is at times difficult to absorb. There are numerous anti-Hollywood touches (one shudders to think what would happen in an American remake) and the ending has a devastating impact. Julsrud successfully captures the cold bleakness of the setting by using filters and color desaturation. Hotten turns out to be an unpleasant place to live and an even worse place to visit. As is common with police thrillers, red herrings abound, but it quickly becomes apparent that "whodunnit?" is the least important question posed by this motion picture.
© 2001 James Berardinelli