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An Exercise In Nonsense

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

In director Erik Poppe's film 'DeUsynlige' or Troubled Water when translated into English, follows a young man named Jan Hansen-played by Pål Hagen- who has been just released from a prison sentence because of his role in the death of a young boy when we was a teenager. A broken man, in spirit and body-he has broken fingers on his right hand-in his attempts to re-assimilate into life; he becomes an organist at a local church and befriends a female priest and her young son. While he is starting to get back on his feet, he cannot escape his past crimes as Agnes-the mother of the boy he killed played by Trine Dyrholm-and he himself cannot move on with life. The movie then follows these characters as they still struggle to come to terms with the terrible event that was the young boys death all those years ago. Jan Hansen attempts to bury his past actions, while Agnes's life falls apart as she still believes Jan is dangerous. When Jan becomes a fatherly figure to Jens, the female priest's son, emotions begin to spin out of control. Poppe was long a cinematographer before gaining fame for directing with Hawaii, Oslo in 2004. Troubled Water follows the same line with Poppe's past cinematic style and a plot focused around multiple characters and the drama of human interaction. All of Poppe's movies experiment with color and lighting, showing his past as a cinematographer. However, it is immediately noticeable that there are large departures in the cinematographic style in Troubled Water compared to Hawaii, Oslo; Poppe's previous movies are brightly colored while Troubled Water is tinted grey. While this does sound like a critique-a movement toward an uninspired visual style-the drab coloring is very evocative of the tone and plot of the movie; enhancing emotional punch of the movie. An emotional punch is a very succinct description of the way one feels when viewing Troubled Water. There are often events that are out of our control, or a mistake that can rule the rest of our lives; the question becomes how do we move on with life and advance forward though our past, especially if the event is life defining. This is the central question that Poppe explores in Troubled Water. To quote the Priest-also one of the central messages from the film-"Life goes in different ways". Jan Hansen can never undo his crime, and Agnes will never fully deal with her sons' death; the only solution for these individuals is a form of catharsis. The facing of ones issues head on.One of the most thought provoking elements in Poppe's film is the role of religion. While this theme may be lost of foreign audiences, but the Nordic countries-the main audiences for this film- are deeply secular and unreligious. The movie makes one of the main set pieces a church, and throughout the movie there is a large amount of portrayal of communion and religious services--religion playing a large role is a bold move and a highly deliberate choice. The church is what offers Jan to find his footing-it gives him a much-needed family, a job, and purpose to his life. Troubled Water becomes used as an exploration of what is the role of religion in the deeply unreligious Nordic countries. In an angry explosion by Agnes to the priest about his hiring of a murderer, he calmly replies, "if he doesn't have a second chance here, then where will he?"Poppe continues his excellent reputation he has built on Hawaii, Oslo with Troubled Water. Another excellently crafted human drama that will leave the viewer thinking long after they have finished watching. The dismal color scheme, the story unfolding in small parcels as we learn the truth about past events, the excellent acting performances all come together to make a truly great film. An exploration of how one deals with the tragedies of life and the role of religion even in a deeply secular society, it would do one well to use this movie as a lens and a lesson to view their own life. While the plot and themes may be extreme comparatively, the facing of our own problems is universal.

A member of the relatively uncommon subcategory of films that have both an evil protagonist and powerful theistic themes, DeUsynlige, the fourth film from Norwegian director Eric Poppe, is both an engaging redemption tale and a soul-shaking study in faith. The characters are simultaneously good and evil which casts them in a refreshing and extremely human light. They do things like clean coffee off their sweaters and panic when they realize their number comes up. The nigh flawless acting allows for an immense amount of focus to be paid to what is actually happening in the minds of the characters. Viewers are gifted with the increasingly rare experience of glimpsing the raw and pulsating core of the human condition in a manner that is uncommon if not unique.Having seen Hawaii, Oslo, another film directed by Eric Poppe, the two-sided chronologically- simultaneous plot of the film fell right in line with what I have come to expect from Poppe. That said, to say that the split narrative format of the film contributes powerfully to the plot is a dramatic understatement. The split narrative develops first the character of Thomas right up to the re-collision of the two plot lines: the moment when he experiences the bewilderment and sadness in exactly the same fashion as Agnes. The following cut to the scene where Agnes discovers that her child is missing is the single most important component that makes this styling work. It draws the two of them together and unifies them as human beings with flaws and emotions and really frames the emotional distress experienced to the point where you can feel it weighing in your gut. Viewers are reminded that the character they have empathized with though the entire first half of the film has still done some terrible things. It brings the whole work back to reality and glues together the, otherwise quite tricky, split narrative brilliantly.Faith is perhaps the strongest theme throughout the course of the first half of the film. Thomas' views on religion are bleak and lonely. He sees no value in repentance, prayer, or communion; an odd stance for a man who works in a church. As he slowly begins to heal from his past and recover his normalcy his faith undergoes a parallel transformation. His friendship with Anna serves as a tether while he wades through his mixed feelings of guilt and abandon. With her help he comes to terms with what his past entails and begins to find inner solace. He even begins to partake in communion. His growth in faith opens the world to him. He is no longer constrained by his burden of guilt. He becomes purified and baptised in his growing love of Jens and Anna. The priest tells Thomas to "play them some good church music" and Thomas responds by playing "Bridge Over Troubled Water". In an almost fortuitous choice Thomas acknowledges that life is a struggle and suggests that maybe faith has something to do with a bridge to guard them to safety. The first half of the film is Thomas taking baby steps towards that bridge. His efforts to make a normal life despite his crimes are commendable to say the least. He does not seek forgiveness; only re-acceptance. Consequently, baptism is another powerful theme in the film. Baptism is a rite of admission through which an individual is inducted into the whole. With that in mind when Thomas gives up his christened name of "Jan" he is also accepting his separation from society. In the act of wading into the river to save the life of Jens, Thomas is baptised again and reunited as a unified person. His sins are divinely washed away in the current; as Anna said so confidently prior in the film "God forgives all". However the same does not hold true for humans. A Thomas that is washed clean of sin emerges from the river and submits himself for crucifixion. With his admission to Agnes Thomas resurrects the world against him. Anna, the one who whole heartedly preached the plan of God and forgiveness, casts him out and with a pained submissive understanding Thomas accepts the pain of parting with those he cares deeply about.A split-narrative style film so masterfully sewn together by strong religious themes and images fused with expert camera-work put DeUsynlige on a level that is something more than just a powerful redemption tale. Poppe has created something that does far more than tell a story. The film creates an immense sadness and relief that is almost palpable, and for that I give it top marks.

A brilliant yet unsettling film that delves into the aftermath of the tragic murder of a young boy, Troubled Water demonstrates the power of reconciliation and forgiveness, and provides an interesting exploration of the Christian faith. Complex characters and interesting character development bring compassion and emotion to this powerful narrative, while cinematic techniques that present it as mystery-esque produce an altogether compelling storyline. In the aftermath of Isak's death, the lives of his mother Agnes, and his killer Jan deteriorate around them as they grapple with the gravity of the situation, though in completely different ways. As an ex-con, Jan struggles to form a life outside of prison first by attempting to hide his shameful identity and reinventing himself as "Thomas" the quiet and talented organist. Although we are lead to believe throughout the majority of the film that Jan is innocent, it is revealed at the end that he was indeed a murderer and had withheld this information out of denial, shame and guilt. Likewise, it is clear that Agnes' fixation on the death of her son has begun to take over her life and strain her familial relationships due to her husband Jon's distress and her daughter Selma's dismay and jealousy towards the memory of Isak. Agnes' behavior reaches its climax when she goes so far as to kidnap Jens in an honorable though misdirected rescue attempt, yet almost immediately afterward demonstrates compassion and mercy in her momentous decision to save her son's killer from drowning. Agnes' ability to forgive Jan and let go of the hatred that she had towards him is incredibly powerful and moving, as is Jan's ability to take responsibility for what he had done. These actions are so striking because they seem inconceivable and unimaginable to most. Much of the explanation behind this capability lies in the religious themes that are presented in the film. Through exchanges between Anna and Jan, Troubled Water gives an intriguing insight into the role of faith in accepting the way of the world. For example, Anna suggests at one point that "good things will come from bad things", and that everything should be left up to God. This becomes a major theme in the film, possibly even justifying the murder of Isak —an interesting concept. The characters in Troubled Water give enormous depth to the story through their demonstration of complex emotions. This is especially apparent in Jan, who has gone through a huge transformation by the end of the film from a timid self-loathing man who is terrified of getting close to children and is in an incredible amount of denial, to someone who is not only able to form relationships with Anna and Jens, but will fight for and defend those relationships as well. Even Selma, Agnes' young daughter, demonstrates complex emotions— especially for a little girl. It is easy for viewers to sympathize with her struggle to become important and present in her mother's life, as opposed to the replacement child who offers compensation for Isak. Selma's articulation of her jealousy and disappointment shows maturity and wisdom, and gives depth to the film by providing yet another element of the agony associated with Isak's death.Just as the characters draw the viewer in, cinematic techniques provide an element of mystery keep the viewer engaged. Throughout the film, Troubled Water provides only bits and pieces of the story surrounding Isak's death, cutting in and out of important scenes quickly before we really know what is going on. Recurring themes (the importance of water), relationships (the similarities between Jan's interactions with Isak and Jens) and cinematic techniques (unfocused close-up of Jan's eyes) also help to draw strong parallels between the past and present and help to fill in some of the holes—but only enough to keep the viewer completely engaged and wanting more. Additional cinematic techniques such as shots in which the camera is unfocused on the action, the use of shadows, and slow close-up pans present the story slowly and give an element of mystery to the film.Overall, I was incredibly impressed with this film. It raises questions that are crucial to understanding human relationships—how does one move on from the death of a child? How does one forgive, and is forgiveness even possible? And what role does faith play in the drive and ability to forgive, can we place blame or does everything truly happen for a reason? Although Troubled Water fully explores these themes, the most compelling part about the film is that they are mostly unanswered, leaving the viewer thinking.

Troubled Water is a story of a young man and a devoted mother trying to move on from events that happened in the past. Of course, when the past is as complicated as the death of a child, it is hard to escape. Troubled water is a story of faith and religion, denial, forgiveness, redemption, and acceptance and rebirth.The story is told from two points of view: Thomas and Agnes. Thomas is released from prison after serving a sentence for killing a child. Agnes, as the mother of the deceased child, has very strong feelings about that. Soon after being released, Thomas gets a job at a church playing the organ. He bonds with the priest and her son while Agnes, horrified, watches. Neither Thomas nor Agnes is particularly religious but faith and religion come up a lot in the storyline. The pastor talks to Thomas and tells him that even the doubters have a place in the church. Religious icons are featured prominently in the story too. The inmates light candles during their church service to represent the hope they have. Poppe uses his camera to capture church imagery in his scenes. Several times when Thomas is sitting/standing near his organ the camera captures his head or his face but focuses on a statue in the background. The statue resembles Jesus and serves as a reminder that God sees all. Baptism is also a theme found throughout the movie. First, when the class field trip is learning about the baptismal font and at the end when Thomas and Agnes are in the water and undergo a baptism of sorts.Another theme that comes up in the film is denial. Thomas is in denial about what happened with Isak and Agnes is in denial about Thomas's intentions toward Jens. When people try to confront him with the truth, Thomas becomes angry and defensive. Many people remember that, during the trial, the two boys blamed each other for the death and neither took responsibility. Thomas maintains throughout most of the movie that Isak's death was an accident and he was not a murderer. At the very end after saving Jens and facing death Thomas admits that he killed Isak. When Agnes encounters Thomas she becomes very angry, even lashing out at the clergy at the church where Thomas works. She cannot understand why they would let Thomas near Jens and refuses to listen to the people who tell her that Thomas loves Jens. She ends up kidnapping Jens, thinking that it is for his own good, and demands answers from Thomas. When Thomas saves Jens Agnes understands that while Thomas may have killed her son he does not want to do the same to Jens. She realizes that Thomas isn't a cold-blooded child killer she once believed.Forgiveness is featured prominently She also believes that God's forgiveness is what most people really need. Throughout the film Thomas believes that he doesn't need to apologize to anyone and therefore doesn't need any forgiveness. At the end Thomas admits his guilt and he and Agnes share a long wordless moment together. Agnes touches his face, showing that she is at peace with what he did to her son.Following the theme of forgiveness is the theme of redemption. Anna states in the film that atonement is much better than forgiveness. While Thomas struggles with life outside of prison he tries to move on by being with Anna and Jens. When Jens accidentally hits his head on the wall, Thomas frantically checks his head for injury. Thomas's concern for Jens demonstrates his determination to do better and not let the past repeat itself.Thomas and Agnes are both broken individuals scarred by life experiences but they are able to move on with acceptance and rebirth. Thomas's broken hand represents his internal state. Thomas also is in possession of a broken mirror which gives his reflection a broken appearance. At first, Agnes appears to be of sounder mind. Her internal turmoil is slowly revealed, especially when she goes out to dinner with her husband's new boss. She ends up hysterically laughing over the loss of her son. She then makes an irrational decision to kidnap Anna's child. Thomas and Agnes's conflict comes to a head when they work together to save Jens. As I mentioned above, their dip in the water represents a baptism. As explained at the beginning, a baptism represents rebirth and the events that follow after the river demonstrate both Thomas and Agnes have been reborn. Agnes accepts Thomas explanation for her son's death and appears to be at peace. She returns to her family where they are united by love. Thomas's ending is more ambiguous but it is clear that he is more at peace with himself after his confession.I think this movie takes a complex issue and explores it very well. The death of a child is one of the most devastating experiences humans can know and not all reactions are the same. I really enjoyed this movie because it gives an accurate representation of the aftermath of such devastating experiences. I think that the message that atonement is much more important than forgiveness is an excellent insight of the human experience. This is because atonement represents outward actions that make things right while forgiveness is an inner feeling. Many people can benefit from atonement but forgiveness is limited.