Thale (2012)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Thale	Silje Reinåmo
Elvis	Erlend Nervold	½
Leo	Jon Sigve Skard
White coat	Morten Andresen

Review

A first half fronted by a good idea based on old Norwegian folklore and mythology, a final half made up by a formulaic sci-fi-triangle of government/scientist/species in which too many questions are left unasked and unanswered. It seems multitasking filmmaker Alexander Nordaas ran out of ideas and lost control of the many aspects he had introduced. He also arguably ran out of budget for make-up and CGI, because both of these technical departments are lacking. But then again, this is a low-budget film with few hands involved, and with that in mind, the professional level of Thale is impressive. Nordaas himself, a first time feature-length director with only two short-films to show for, wears enough hats for an entire crew: director, writer, executive producer, cinematographer, editor, and set decorator. And the talent on display is obvious and commendable, also in front of the camera, where Silje Reinåmo (in the title role) as well as Erlend Nervold and Jon Sigve Skard (as two half-goofy crime-scene cleaners) deliver fine work. Thale has an attractive tone, a fair bit of suspense for a while, and is a half-baked interesting character study, but ultimately it lacks the shrewdness to ensure that the end-product matches the ambition set forth in the film's first half.