Desaparecida

This is the first Swedish horror film I have seen, although a very mild version of the genre. It features Malin (Sofia Ledarp) who is moving to the north of Sweden. She has a long drive ahead of her and is towing a trailer with her belongings. She happens to be followed by Mannen (Kjell Bergqvist). At first she thinks it might be co-incidental that she keeps seeing him but eventually he freaks her out so she contacts the police, but unforunately they have no available officer to help in this remote part of the country. This is where Malin makes a big mistake. Instead of driving on to the nearest town, she stops for a rest on this remote, empty road. It is no surprise that Mannen turns up and kidnaps her. He knocks her out and she wakes up in a dingy cellar, with no idea where she is. This is where the story really starts but I will not go into any details, but just say I found it quite suspenseful and entertaining, with a sympathetic victim and plenty of shots of Swedish forestry.

I liked the movie, something different and with quite human and realistic decisions, although sometimes the patience of the victim was almost unbearable.

It is quite slow at various times and could have been filled with more emotions and tension.

I didn't expect the ending to be honest, and this woman deserves an award.

Some of the decisions seemed ridiculous to me, but you would have to see yourself in a situation like this.

In summary the story is interesting enough to want to see it until the end.

Patience is a great virtue

In summary the story is interesting enough to want to see it until the end.

Malin (Sofia Ledarp) has recently gone through a family tragedy, and has decided to move from her hometown, up North. During her road trip she starts to feel uncomfortable as she is followed by a strange man in a Jeep (Kjell Bergqvist). He acts in a way that makes her scared. He follows and tries to stop her in the remote landscape. This turns out to be the start of a nightmare.

A Swedish made by the feature debuting directors, Mattias Olsson and Henrik JP Åkesson, which manages to take a grip on you after a few minutes. The first half an hour is haunting, realistic and brilliant. In a way this film is typically Swedish, with long camera lingerings on the nature and landscapes. The remote landscapes plays a major part of the film. I'm afraid the film also in a Swedish way turns out to be mediocre. The fails to hold the grip, and you turn out to be non caring as a viewer.

Then the film turn in a more traditional way. I'm afraid the story begins to turn unlikely, and has some unnatural dialog, which also annoys. I reckon it's not a Swedish way, but the lack of discussion and questions between people meeting for the first time in odd situations is almost unbelievable. They all act strangely to the situation they are in. It's not the actors, but the script lacking the dialog which makes it believable. But if you are able too see away from that. then you might have a nice watch.

This film is a must see film! I cannot recommend it enough.....it will leave you exhausted at the end......I have to use up characters and words to have this review published but I want to you no hint as to what happens other than to say to you trust me and invest a little of your time to allow yourself become gripped by the events as they unfold.....Evey scene is relevant nothing goes to waste as the story unravels..... moment by moment the tension rises and finally that tension reaches a climatic cresscendo! The reason as way I tell you so little of the specific is to lure you, entrape your curiosity to view the film!

Woman on lonely road meets dangerous stranger. A simple plot, but well planned. Two other characters appear at intervals and nobody can be sure what others know. Everybody is isolated and unsure who to trust, having to rely on their wits, in a way that translates from backwoods US to outback Australia to remote Scotland or here, northern Sweden.

A good build up loses momentum in the mid-section then ramps it up to eleven for the final twenty minutes. There are some plot holes and a few illogicalities, but overall this is a proper grown-up offering - real people, weaknesses and vulnerabilities included, with minimal gore or shocks, just tension you can squeeze between your fingers.

A sub-plot around the protagonists brother and her reasons to move north are both underdeveloped and unnecessary, but end is a clever bit of thinking and ties up what earlier felt out of place. Worth a look.