Magnetisøren's femte vinter

I really liked this film. Compared to much of what we see presented under the "drama" heading from Hollywood this film may at first seem a bit slow paced. But, on reflection, I think that this film is correctly paced and the other films may be too quick instead.

The slow pace of the film leaves the viewer time to enjoy great acting performances by Ole Lemmeke as the charismatic magnetiser and Rolf Lassgård as the troubled doctor torn between his rational beliefs and his all too human hopes for his blind daughter. The director allows both actors to use almost the entire film to build up the credibility of their character instead of blowing it all off in the first 10 minutes.

The main weak point in my opinion is Johanna Sällström as the daughter - she comes over almost transparent and I found it hard really to believe her. And something that irritated me: from the outset we knew that there would be a scene where we get to see her naked, and yes, we did. Why? The days when that would draw a crowd went away with the 50's. I have no problem with nudity in films - only when it seems a stupid knee-jerk ploy, and it did here.

But apart from that - great film, once you've got your mind adjusted to the right pace.