Thale (2012)

Powerful

A Masterpiece!

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I guess with a bigger budget Thale could have been better but unfortunately at this moment it's just not good enough to be remembered. And it's also not a horror movie. I don't know why they listed it in that category. That was the reason I started to watch Thale. I wanted a horror movie but I got a fantasy movie instead. Nothing wrong with that genre, but this Nordic tale is just too slow and lacks a bigger budget. The CGI scenes are not great and could have been much better if you put some more work in it. The cast isn't bad, it's just the story that is a bit slow. I caught myself several times trying to stay awake and that would not have happened if the story was better, with a bit more action. I had higher hopes for this Norwegian movie and so I'm left disappointed.

If you enjoy dark fantasy or brooding and atmospheric horror films, then this supernatural tale will be well worth your time. Leo and Elvis may not be the most engaging characters, but they are believable, and you don't find yourself cheering for their demise as so often in horror flicks in which the protagonists are anything but worth your empathy and time. Thale steals the show--Silje Reinåmo owns her role as a mysterious woman held captive; she conveys more by not uttering a word than any of the other characters do--and I doubt that the English subtitles did the dialog much injustice. The mystery of how and why she has been hidden from society is revealed gradually and tantalizingly--fortunately, the bulk of the film concerns this development, and it is nothing but great storytelling. The beginning and end do drag on at times, as is the case with many films that would be excellent at 45-50 minutes but feel the need to plod on for 90 minutes or more. I'm looking forward to Aleksander Nordaas' next offering.

Thale is really a great movie. Cinematography, locations, set design, colour schemes, acting and casting are all spot on. The budget didn't stretch to magnificent special effects, and if I have one criticism it would be that the director could have found a way around these scenes. He could have implied both the creatures and the violence a la Val Lewton.It's also a mystery for the first thirty minutes or so. At the end it tries for a bit more. You actually feel that the characters lives have changed due to their experiences. This could easily have been maudlin or even silly but the two male leads manage to make you believe through understatement.Don't expect to be jumping out of your seat but welcome the thoughts this movie conjures up.Aleksander Nordaas is a force to be reckoned with. Can't wait to see more from him.

Thale is visually stunning, interesting in mythology and well - played movie. Yes, the story is poor and screenplay has some holes, design of "hurdles" is quite upsetting (the CGI is done well, but they look really strange), but this has an mysterious atmosphere, supplemented by shots of beautiful nature and melancholic music. Short footage is good move how to cover few deficiencies of screenplay, but maybe, it should have been 10 minutes longer...Over an above, the character of Thale was played very suggestively by beautiful Silje Reinåmo, and the characters of "two friends" are quite nice. Thale is strange fantasy, but it has also some aspects of art movie (the way the shots are stylized, minimalistic acting, static camera, few actors...).I'm certainly sure, that Thale will be forgotten, and that's really pity. It is because this movie is very unconventional, so it will barely engage the attention of masses, or at least some group of people - and maybe because you can't classify Thale into some universal film genre. It has some aspects of horror, fantasy, and also mystery drama. In addition, the low budget is obvious - but I don't think it is an negative in here.Would I recommend this movie to someone? Namely, if you expect much of horror/gore and action - forget it and better don't watch it. But if you like shots of beautiful nature accompanied by suggestive music, slow storyline, and you like the impressions more than action, maybe you will enjoy the Thale, as I did.