Film: Psalm 21
Year of production: 2009
UK Release date: 30th May 2011
Distributor: Revolver
Certificate: 15
Running time: 114 mins
Director: Fredrik Hiller
Starring: Jonas Malmsjö, Niklas Falk, Björn Bengtsson, Görel Crona, Josefin Ljungman
Genre: Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Sweden
Language: Swedish
Review by: Matthew Evans
The debut film of Swedish director Fredrik Hiller, Psalm 21 is a horror film with ambitions. Sure, it features many a decaying ghost and a man with a haunted past – core staples of any horror film – but it also has a chip on its shoulder; Mr. Hiller has a bone to pick with religion.
The film tells the story of Henrik Horneus (Jonas Malmsjo), a Christian priest who lives his life by the words of the New Testament. When Henrik learns of his father's death from an apparent drowning accident, he decides to travel to the isolated village in which his father's body was found. However, his arrival and subsequent suspicion as to the true circumstances of his father's death set Henrik on a collision course with his past - a past he would much rather forget.
In his quest to solve the mystery of his father's death, Henrik finds himself haunted – quite literally – by the ghosts of his past. As the truth finally outs, Henrik battles to save himself from his own personal hell and, in the process, learns a few home truths about the religion which he holds so dear...
Angry Biblical texts and gruesome ghosts with a propensity to scream at passersby abound, Psalm 21 doesn't give itself all that much to work with. In the style of many horror films before it, Psalm 21 is a rather mundane 'who done it' murder mystery, dotted with supernatural goings on and a few cheap camera tricks. What's more, it has an agenda, and it's intent on ramming it down your throat.
At first glance, the film looks rather promising; Asian horror has quite clearly influenced much of Psalm 21's style. Washed out colours and decent special effects combine to give the film a moderately eerie feel. However, the plausibility of the film is abruptly shattered the moment Jonas Malmsjo opens his mouth.
The film's contrived dialogue is not only unconvincing but, in many cases, laughable. This is demonstrated in the scene where Henrik learns of his father’s death, in which Malmsjo's performance fails to convey any consistent emotion. From an ice cold glare to a wobbly lipped murmur to a hysterical fit of laughter, Henrik comes across as somewhat of a psychopath, rather than a character with which one could sympathise. The intention of this scene is, of course, to convey Henrik's haunted past and his mixed emotions when confronted by his father's death. Instead, Henrik comes across as somewhat of an oddball.
Sadly, the performances on offer merely highlight the film's other failings; primarily its script. Psalm 21 trundles along for most of its duration, apparently content with its generic 'murder-mystery' script, and if it had continued along this path it might warrant some small degree of respect. However, things take a rather unexpected turn as we reach the film's climax. In a rather unexpected move, the director goes about voicing some of his thoughts on organized religion. As many of his opinions had been more subtly expressed throughout the film, this really was a silly move. The fact that Fredrik Hiller felt the need to ram his views down the throats of his audience merely demonstrates the weaknesses of his film.
Long gone are the days when a director could get away with producing a successful horror film with a few cheap camera tricks. You are fooling no-one by hiding a decaying child behind a bathroom door or having ghosts miraculously appear as a camera circles a character in a 360 degree shot. Fredrik Hiller is mistaken if he thinks a few cheap scares, a handful of CGI ghosts and controversial statement on religion will save him.
However, there are some positive aspects to Psalm 21's script. As mentioned above, for most of its duration the film does allude to the overarching message which it so painfully preaches during its closing scene. If it were not for this final scene, the film could be complimented on its interesting depiction of Henrik's personal hell. Even though every twist is clearly signposted, the script does offer brief hints of originality.
Psalm 21 is a rather disappointing, if not painfully predictable, addition to the horror genre. Whilst its script occasionally alludes to something deeper, acting as a denouncement of organised religion, it is undermined by the film's appalling closing scene. Sadly, terrible performances, forced dialogue and cheap camera tricks conspire to offer the crippling blow to this hellishly flawed film. ME
No comments:
Post a Comment