Tina (Eva Melander) works as a Swedish border agent. She has animal-like features that include the ability to successfully detect fear, guilt, and shame in troublesome border crossers. As the film progresses, she is asked to use her special abilities to expose a child pornography operation. During this time, she also meets another human with animal-like characteristics.
Melander is in almost every scene and she more than lives up to the difficult task of keeping the film fascinating. Even in extended moments of routine home life, the film is always engaging thanks mainly to Melander and director Ali Abbasi. The film may indeed be bizarre but it is always intriguing.
It takes on many themes though perhaps too much as there are various loose ends by the conclusion. But it goes into territory that is rarely explored: the isolation felt by beings (troll-like humans in this case) who are different from most people they encounter. As Tina meets someone like her, she goes through a coming-out self-discovery. This narrative is at least as fascinating as the crime story. - dbamateurcritic
Melander is in almost every scene and she more than lives up to the difficult task of keeping the film fascinating. Even in extended moments of routine home life, the film is always engaging thanks mainly to Melander and director Ali Abbasi. The film may indeed be bizarre but it is always intriguing.
It takes on many themes though perhaps too much as there are various loose ends by the conclusion. But it goes into territory that is rarely explored: the isolation felt by beings (troll-like humans in this case) who are different from most people they encounter. As Tina meets someone like her, she goes through a coming-out self-discovery. This narrative is at least as fascinating as the crime story. - dbamateurcritic