Thelma

Thelma is starting university in Oslo. She is from a strict, religious, rural family. So this is a culture shock. Though having an epileptic-style fit when a pretty girl sits next to her in the crowded library is an even bigger shock. The doctor who treats her is pretty sure it isn't an epileptic fit, suggesting psychogenic seizures. No-one notices the simultaneous bird strikes on the windows.

The contrast between the clean, modern Scandinavian university, the student world of Facebook and iPhones and the unnatural events make them more startling. These students even find the idea of fellow students who believe in God difficult to process. They expect things to be rational.

Thelma is a quiet, reserved girl, trying to live up to her parents' expectations and her religious upbringing, while also trying to fit in to student life. Underneath that reserved exterior there are alot of emotions wrangling for control: confusion, fear, lust, guilt. The more she tries be unnoticed the more she attracts attention to herself. It's interesting to contrast the timid Thelma with the much brasher and younger Mia in Blue My Mind though both girls are physically similar; pale, slim with long hair, placid expressions and perfect skin.

Thelma evolves from being the victim of her fits to being in control and in the penultimate scene, she strides from her family home in triumph.

There is enough ambiguity in the film to view what happens as either supernatural with Themla's telekinetic powers being successfully repressed during most of her childhood and resurfacing at university or as Thelma's imagination, dreams and unreliable guilt-ridden childhood memories.

Equally the final scene, which on the face of it feels like a cop-out in this otherwise dark, sinister Scandinavian movie, could also be interpreted in a couple of more sinister ways.

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Ian's rating 4/5

In Order of Disappearance

Nils Dickman (and yes, you are supposed to find his name amusing) is a dour fifty-ish snow plough driver whose only son is murdered by a local drug syndicate at the beginning of the movie. His marriage is unable to withstand the loss and Nils' wife moves out, leaving a particularly expressive note. Nils applies himself to avenging his son's death and works his way systematically up the syndicate, starting with killing the heavy who committed the murder and moving all the way to the top.

You may think this doesn't sound wholesome or amusing and you'd be both right and wrong. This is certainly not a wholesome film but it is funny. There's the dedication with which Nils applies himself to the task at hand. Other comedic aspects the disposal of the corpses (wrapping them in chicken wire and chucking them over a spectacular waterfall) and Nils getting tired during the third killing and having to take a breather before finishing the job.The head of the drug syndicate is called the Count, and he is pretty funny - a long haired immaculately dressed vegan who fights with his wife over child custody arrangements.

The Count, bringing coffee for the team.

The Norwegian winter landscape is spectacular and the snow plough adds a certain je ne sais quoi to car chase scenes. The contrast between The Count and the head of the opposing drug syndicate (an avuncular older Serbian who wears a fur hat) is enjoyable. The plot has certain similarities to the French film The Ax but the execution (pun intended) is different. Watch the Trailer - this is an action flick with droll Nordic flavour, and it's fun.

Anne's rating 4/5 Ian's rating 4/5

Happy Happy

Happy Happy is billed as a comdey in the Film Festival program, but this is stretching the definition of comedy even by Scandinavian standards. There are some blackly comic scenes to smile over as you recover from cringing at other scenes. Elisabeth, Sigve and their adopted son Noa arrive from urban Denmark to rent the house next door to Kaja, Eirik and son Theodor out in the middle of snowy rural Norway. Chirpy, annoyingly talkative, overly outgoing Kaja has an inferiority complex to end all inferiority complexes, and is obviously mismatched to her silent, gruff, hunting fishing husband. The new couple seem urban sophisticated and perfect in her eyes.

But nothing is right in either relationship and Kaja's need to reach out to people cause skeletons to come out of closets in both households. In the background the boys are also forcing by circumstances into an unhealthy unequal relationship. All six characters misbehave, to remind you that no-one is perfect, regardless of how it looks on the surface. It is also arguable that through hurting each other they facilitated resolving issues as far as such issues can be resolved.

This film reminded me of last years Cyrus, both films dealing with serious relationship issues in a darkly funny way.

Ian's rating 3/5