Norway
Feature Film | Fantasy Comedy-Thriller | Norwegian | 1h43m
Original Title: Trolljegeren
Dir: André Øvredal | Scr: André Øvredal | DP: Hallvard Bræin | Prod: Sveinung Golimo & John M. Jacobsen | Ed: Per-Erik Eriksen | PD: Martin Gant | Effects: Oystein Larsen
Cast: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen, Hans Morten Hansen
Capsule review | 180 words | 07/09/11
A trio of film students, out in the wilds investigating alleged bear poaching, stumble upon a world of trolls, government cover-ups, and bureaucracy, when they meet Norway’s only troll hunter, Hans, a world-weary sort who no longer has the energy to attempt to keep his important but underappreciated work a secret. Joining the rather hackneyed horror sub-genre of the alleged found footage film (despite being more of a comedy-thriller), Øvredal’s simultaneously familiar- and original-feeling fantasy pic rises above most of its stable-mates with wit and invention. The effects work is excellent, though the creatures look more like Muppets or Fraggles than big scary beasties. And the performances are generally all good, with Jespersen’s turn in the titular role being particularly eye-catching. However, the screenplay (despite some nice, subtle humour) sometimes feels a little undernourished and reference-heavy in spots, with some of the characters perhaps being a little underwritten and thin. Still, the film’s real star is not Jespersen, the trolls, or the student film-makers but the stunning, undulating Norwegian landscape, beautifully and unfussily captured by Bræin’s distinctive photography. Thoroughly entertaining.
1000 Nights in the Dark: a collection of reviews of the single sentence, capsule, short, medium, and long variety, varying in length from fifty to a thousand-plus words, documenting my personal, exploratory journey through cinephilia.
