Weird does not equal good. But it does equal very interesting. Director Ali Abbasi's BORDER is basically a modern-day fairy tale... with nudity, sex, illegal crime, and even a shocking act of violence. I'm not quite sure that this meshing of genres works, and indeed the film is at its best when it solely focuses on the main protagonist (played by Eva Melander) and her attempts to tap into her true nature. The film gets bogged down simply because Abbasi attempts to do too much (it's almost as if Abbasi and his co-writers Isabella Eklöf and John Ajvide Lindqvist had two very different ideas for a film and then tried their best to bring them together in a somewhat cohesive manner). This genre see-saw unfortunately leads to some glaring tonal shifts, with the film ultimately growing too dark for me in its final act. I don't mind dark films, but I do mind when a film has mostly presented itself in one way only to shift rather abruptly as it builds to its conclusion. I realize I'm being vague here, but this is truly a film that should be watched with as little knowledge of the plot as possible. I will give Abbasi credit for having a vision and sticking with it - from the first frame to the last he does not compromise what he wants this film to be. And also, the prosthetic and make-up work is truly outstanding.
Review of Border
