“Thale” has been one of those genre films that has been on my radar for a long time. The film has played at film festivals such as Screamfest LA, SXSW and the Toronto International Film Festival. The film now is finally being released onto DVD and Blu-ray as the second release under Xlrator Media’s new label Screamfest.
The film follows two crime scene cleaners, as they discover a mysterious and mythical female creature that has been trapped in a concealed cellar for a long time. She can never speak to tell her story, but they soon find out the facts to her story. While finding out about her through tapes, the cleaners also discover that she has been kept there for decades for reasons beyond imagination.
Going into this film, I was expecting a film that would be more geared to the horror end of the spectrum. Surprising that wasn’t the case with this film, as there was little of the bloody violence that you see in these types of films. But this was still a
very entertaining film, even though this fall under the grim fairy tale side of things.
One of the reasons that this was very good was Aleksander L. Nordas handling of the direction and cinematography. What makes everything very good was the way that each of the scenes were shot and handled. Nordas does a very good job getting the scenes to look in a way that it feels fairy tale like. It looks very beautiful and it helps make the film stand out especially when you’re viewing it for the first time. That’s what makes the production aspects work. This is very rare for a dark fantasy film of its kind. The other thing that he does so well is getting the performances that he needs. I liked the way that he directs the performance, especially Silje Reinamo performance as Thale. Nordas makes sure the mannerisms of the title character is handled and acted in a way that makes the character interesting, as the character doesn’t speak a word. The performance is essential to this film, as it help make the film have its grim fairy tale feel. If the performance didn’t feel that way, then it could’ve been a disappointing film.
Nordas’ screenplay was also good. One of the things that he does well with the screenplay is that he develops the title character’s backstory through flashbacks. I liked, the way that he creatively tells it. Nordas has those sequences, every time the title touches one of the cleaners. It feels different, because not only you are seeing the backstory but you also feel the character that’s being touched is also along for the ride. It’s a clever way to revel a backstory and have that dark fantasy feel to it. The other thing that makes it good was the way that it focuses on the friendship of the two cleaners. It makes those characters interesting that you care about them, especially during the course of the film. You need characters like that, especially if you’re trying to create a fantasy film of this kind. Nordas does that successfully, because I was interested with both of the crime scene cleaners and happens during the course of the film. It makes the story and film interesting to watch.
This is one of the better looking films that I’ve seen this year. I urge you to check this film out. With great direction and an interesting screenplay, “Thale” is a must see for fans foreign horror and fantasy films.
Review Rating: Five Stars
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