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★★★★☆
26 October 2018
A movie review of BORDER. |
“I can just sense these things,” Tina (Eva Melander)
Tina can sense: Shame, guilt, rage. She puts two and two together, and can adduce when something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (In this case neighbour Sweden.) BORDER is a very rare cinema occurrence: An uncategorisable film. Continually evolving, it feels like a lot of thought has gone in. Disturbing too, as you'd predict from the author of 'Let the Right One In'.
Tina can sense: Shame, guilt, rage. She puts two and two together, and can adduce when something is rotten in the state of Denmark. (In this case neighbour Sweden.) BORDER is a very rare cinema occurrence: An uncategorisable film. Continually evolving, it feels like a lot of thought has gone in. Disturbing too, as you'd predict from the author of 'Let the Right One In'.
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At a Swedish port, Tina is a border guard with a sixth sense about people up to no good. Firstly, we see her spot a traveller under the drinking age with alcohol and has it confiscated. The teenager insults her within earshot, “ugly bitch”. The first indicator of the film’s disappointment in the flaws of humanity. It is hard being not conventionally attractive in this world, especially as a lady. BORDER, like its heroine, is sensitive and compassionate. (Contrast Danish comedy MEN & CHICKEN (2015).)
One of the plot strands concerns a memory card she finds with a guy in a suit. He tries to swallow it, which leads to a disturbing criminal ring. For those that need reminding, outward respectability does not equate to any kind of superiority. Tina helps the police, in particular an interesting commander, Agneta (Ann Petrén), who has seen it all until she meets the lead. At this point, BORDER reminds of UNBREAKABLE (2000). One wondered if you were being gifted a Scandinavian superhero film. It turns out it is so much more. Of course “border” means multiple things: national, gender, species, etc. The revelations are not what I expected. Who could predict the main plot?! The explanations are rushed though, a real shame.
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Tina's life is altered when she comes into contact with Vore (Eero Milonoff). They are drawn to each other. He is charismatic, yet unnerving. Who doesn't enjoy smoked salmon, but eating a whole plate of smoked salmon with your hands at a ferry buffet is going to set alarms off.
Vore travels. What does he do? What does he want? They were both struck by lightening. He can silence muscular dogs with a growl. “There’s no flaw in you,’ Vore romantically says to Tina. Talking about his past, tragically his parents were tortured and murdered. At an orphanage he was abused. We come to see venom behind his constant smile. There's an X-MEN subtext. There's also an Iain M. Banks' 'The Wasp Factory’ vibe too. See, uncategorisable.
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