Film Reviews

Special Unit: The First Murder – Alex Høgh Andersen stars in gritty 1920s crime thriller

Nordic film and television has become almost synonymous with crime stories. Perhaps we enjoy the oxymoron of the world’s happiest and friendliest countries being splattered with blood, fuelled by anger and lust. Writer/director Christoffer Boe’s Special Unit: The First Murder takes us all the way back to 1927, giving us the chance to meet Otto… Continue reading Special Unit: The First Murder – Alex Høgh Andersen stars in gritty 1920s crime thriller

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by Team Nordic Watchlist

Mango – New Netflix romance is super sweet

Nordic Watchlist reviews Netflix’s Mango Netflix’s latest Nordic film, Mango, centres around a luxury hotel in Málaga. Whilst overseeing a major piece of project work, driven hotel manager Lærke (Josephine Park) finds herself at odds with Alex (Dar Salim), a former lawyer who refuses to sell his mango plantation. Her daughter, Agnes (Josephine Højbjerg), expecting… Continue reading Mango – New Netflix romance is super sweet

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by Team Nordic Watchlist

Ultras Review: A Journey to the Beating Heart of Football Fandom

In Ultras, director Ragnhild Ekner transforms what could easily be a cacophony of shouting men into a visually intoxicating spectacle of collective passion. The documentary embarks on a journey that subverts expectations, moving beyond mere football obsession to explore the more beautiful, dedicated, and often spiritual prospect of the global Ultras subculture.

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by Nordic Watchlist

Redoubt Review: John Skoog’s Monochrome Ode to a Cold War Dreamer

John Skoog’s debut feature Redoubt has its UK premiere at this year’s London Film Festival. Inspired by the true story of Karl-Göran Persson, a farm worker in southern Sweden who, at the height of the Cold War, began fortifying his home with scrap metal to prepare for a war that never came, the film is… Continue reading Redoubt Review: John Skoog’s Monochrome Ode to a Cold War Dreamer

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by Nordic Watchlist

Reviving Memories: A Father-Son Road Trip in ‘The Last Journey’

The Last Journey opens with a quiet simplicity: stark title cards. The Son. The Father. They are followed by the sterile whiteness of a hospital waiting room. An MRI machine hums ominously as Lars, the father, lies still, his son Filip holding his hand. It’s a clinical, almost cold beginning, but one that sets the… Continue reading Reviving Memories: A Father-Son Road Trip in ‘The Last Journey’

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by Team Nordic Watchlist

Exploring Grief in Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks

Icelandic filmmaker Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks is a poignant meditation on grief, love and the quiet devastation of loss. Set against the backdrop of Iceland’s ethereal landscapes, the film follows Una (Elín Hall), a young art student grappling with the sudden death of her lover, Diddi (Baldur Einarsson). What unfolds is a deeply… Continue reading Exploring Grief in Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks

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by Team Nordic Watchlist

Little Siberia – Netflix Film Review

If you’ve read any of Antti Tuomainen’s books, you’ll quickly get a sense of his style. It’s almost like the Coen Brothers wrote Finnish crime novels. There’s a quirky sense of humour that permeates his work, inevitably some violence along the way and plenty of troubled lead characters for whom the future is uncertain. The… Continue reading Little Siberia – Netflix Film Review

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by Team Nordic Watchlist

Electric Child – Film Review from Glasgow Film Festival

Elliott Crosset Hove reunites with fellow Danish star Sandra Guldberg Kampp in Electric Child. Hove and Kampp previously worked together in the fantastic Wildland, and he would later re-team with director Hlynur Pálmason for the Icelandic epic Godland. Electric Child is directed by Swiss filmmaker Simon Jaquemet and follows Sonny (played by Hove) and his… Continue reading Electric Child – Film Review from Glasgow Film Festival

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by Nordic Watchlist

The Swedish Torpedo – Film Review from Glasgow Film Festival

Frida Kempff’s breathtaking biopic of Swedish swimming sensation, Sally Bauer, opens with failure. Bauer (Josefin Neldén) is gasping for air; we can almost feel the ache in her arms as she struggles to keep her head above the water. She is pulled onto the deck of a small boat. Her eyes are swollen, she is… Continue reading The Swedish Torpedo – Film Review from Glasgow Film Festival

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by Team Nordic Watchlist

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