Thelma

Most films now-a-days rarely dear to be pushing the boundaries of the artistic form of cinema. Joachim Trier does this brilliantly by being able to make the viewer experience the same emotions the main character, Thelma, does during the whole movie.

During this beautifully shot piece, we're taken through a very eventful period of Thelma's life and learn to know her whole backstory, which is thought-provoking to say at least. It's a coming of age story told in a stylistic environment with some well-executed acting performances which makes the characters seem genuine. The viewer is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions throughout the film and as told earlier, Trier is great at making the viewer step into the shoes of Thelma.

The story is told in a beautiful manner, even though it might seem slow at times for some viewers. However, I reckon the film would've lost a lot of the suspense and tenseness it manages to create if it was shorter and/or faster, as Trier really lets us dive deep into Thelma's emotions.

Do certainly not hesitate to watch this movie as you will not regret it. Even for those not liking this film as much as I do, it's still a good movie which does not let you down, neither acting, telling or shooting-wise.

"Thelma" (2017 release from Norway; 116 min.) brings the story of university student Thelma. As the movie opens, we see young Thelma and her dad walking in the snowy woods, and when they encounter a deer, dad aims his riffle first at the deer, then.... at Thelma. Whoa! We then go to today, as Thelma, just entering university in Oslo, has a difficult time finding her way. Then one day, as she is in the library/study hall, Thelma suffers a seizure. Following that incident, Anja, another student, reaches out to Thelma to see if she's okay. At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Norwegian writer-director director Joachim Trier, who previously gave us the excellent "Louder Than Bombs" (2015) and before that the even better "Oslo, August 31st" (2011). Here he goes a very different direction. Trier brings us Thelma, an 18 yr. old who grew up in a very conservative/religious/rural setting but now finds freedom in the big city and, while feeling guilty about it, is nevertheless quite eager to explore this newly found freedom. The movie is paced quite slowly, and I mean that as a compliment, as Trier takes his time to explore and provide full characters. After the first seizure, Thelma gets scared and confesses "I know there's something wrong with me", but what exactly? And what causes thee seizures? All is revealed in the second hour of the movie... I shan't say more! Eili Harboe is outstanding in the title role, and I can only imagine that she will soon be making her debut in US movies. In fact, I could easily see how "Thelma" is one of those movies that Hollywood wants to remake--Hollywood style of course. Let's hope I am dead wrong on this one. "Thelma" is 180 degrees away from Hollywood mainstream, and it should stay that way,

"Thelma" opened without any fanfare or advertising at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend, and seeing that this was directed by Joachim Trier was good enough for me to check it out. So glad I did. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so at best (6 people including myself), and that leads me to think this won't play long in the theater... If you are in the mood for a top-notch foreign psychological drama with hints of the supernatural, I readily recommend that you check out "Thelma", be it in the theater (while you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Thelma" is a WINNER.

Thelma is a hard film to categorise. It contains everything from drama, mystery, supernatural elements, a bit of horror and is essentially a story about love, self-discovery and the fear it may be attached to it. It is a very slow film but the pace is even enough so it never gets dull or drags. The opening sequence is perfect and sets the tone of the film right from the very first seconds. All the performances are simply top-notch and photography stunning. There is also a bit of symbolism present so you will get your share of food for thought. The symbolism nicely compliments the film, it is not the focus of it and thus does not make Thelma a full on art-house film where you can't decipher or understand what is going on. It is very well written although it is very hard not to think of or compare it to Carrie since there are similarities.

Everyone who love dark films and stories with haunting atmosphere, good performances and beautiful photography should not miss this one. Recommended.

First off. Some people are calling this a horror movie. It is not. This is a mysterious drama-thriller with supernatural elements, and just the slightest hint of horror. Now, I expected this so it was OK, but be aware. Expectations is a movie worst enemy!

OK! So Thelma is beautifully shot. Thought has gone into each scene, and each camera angle. The movie overall is very calm, kinda quiet. Eili Harboe is excellent as the titular character. The other characters are good too, but she stands out. She has a very natural way of acting. Also she is beautiful, and so is Kaya Wilkins, which plays her new friend. Gorgeous people.

Like I said, Thelma is a calm, low key movie for the most part. I did think it dragged just a tad in the middle part, but both the beginning and ending is pretty good. It has certain romantic tendencies, but it was done in a not annoying way. Good.

The are some scenes with CGI here, and they are very well done. You almost won't notice they are CG, except from the fact that you know you are watching something impossible. That's good. Thelma is not heavy on big effect stuff, but the effects that are, are excellent.

Joachim Trier is Norwegian movie critics golden child. They love him over here. Personally I'm no big fan, but then again, Reprise is the only movie of his I've seen, so I can't really say. But Thelma is the kind of supernatural movie movie critics are actually allowed to like. Because it's kinda artsy, ya'll! ;) Anyway, I liked it, didn't love it, but maybe I will later? I doubt it, but who knows! Know what you are in for, and you will probably like it too!

The film was excellent but they seriously need a seizure warning somewhere.