SXSW 2012 film review
Thale
Director & Screenwriter: Aleksander L. Nordaas The film revolves around huldra, a mythical, tailed creature, found by two crime scene cleaners in a concealed cellar. Someone’s been keeping her down here for decades, for reasons soon to surface. Cast: Silje Reinåmo, Jon Sigve Skard, Erlend Nervold, Morten Andresen (North American Premiere)
Film Synopsis (from SXSW.com)
WHO'S IT FOR? It's a nice piece of minimalist horror/fantasy.
OVERALL
Less is more with Thale, and starting with a dead guy ain't too shabby either. The crime scene cleaners are Leo (Sigve Skard) and Elvis (Nervold). They could easily be described as the old pro and the reluctant new guy. You know Elvis is reluctant to clean up blood because he vomits a lot. A new job takes them to a remote location. Elvis decides to explore and that's when the crazy stuff starts to happen. It's the classic idea of telling a little kid not to touch anything in a toy store. Elvis can't help himself and that leads to life-changing events for the both of them. They meet Thale (Reinåmo) under insane circumstances. There are really solid horror elements at work while we build up to meeting Thale. The best is a rewinding old cassette tape, sucking you in with the sound.
Less is more with Thale, so as we start to discover, I started to feel like I've been here before. It's not at the level of George Lucas explaining midi-chlorians, but the explanations don't hold a candle to the mystery of it all. Even though the film feels longer than its 77-minute running time, the music is great, the moments of excitement are powerful and the translation works. There are definitely times with foreign films where you feel the dialogue is too simple, or missing in translation. I never felt that way with Thale, with the comedic elements coming through perfectly.
Thale is most-effective when it is boiled down to its simplest terms. Leo and Elvis work well together, Thale is mysterious, and you know trouble is coming.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10