Are there certain things one just cannot be forgiven for? Is forgiveness necessary to move on in life? Are apologies? These and other questions are explored in Erik Poppe's Troubled Water. Poppe depicts a gripping tale of every parent's worst nightmare-their child gone missing. The story is told from the perspective of both the mother and the accused kidnapper and murderer for an intense, deeply saddening story.
I really loved this film. I enjoyed its "Norwegian-ness". There was definitely a dark Nordic feel to it, but I find Norwegian films to have a little bit more of a Hollywood feel to them. For example, the sex scenes in this film were toned down and not nearly as explicit as those from other Nordic films. It feels more like it is geared to an international audience, fit for Norwegian, American and other tastes. There are also very distinctive Norwegian aspects. Norwegian flags are seen throughout Agnes and Jon's house. The prominent role of water and nature is also very Norwegian. In addition to these, I noticed a similarity to Viking tradition. The way Jan Thomas sends Isak down the river after he is presumed dead is reminiscent of a Viking funeral, where the body is sent out to sea. From my experience, Norwegian directors tend to produce films that are more appealing to American audiences compared to other Nordic directors. Erik Poppe keeps up his track record from Hawaii, Oslo in this film as well with another dramatic, captivating Norwegian film.
I found myself struggling to take sides in the film. I think Poppe intentionally presented the story in a way that was unbiased-so there wasn't a "good guy" and a "bad guy." He is trying to show us the human side of everyone. Often in the criminal system dehumanizes those it convicts. We forget that prisoners are people, too, and that almost everyone has a good side to them. This all fits into the theme of redemption, forgiveness, and starting anew in the film. Jan Thomas is trying to put his past behind him and live a new life. At the same time, Agnes is still grieving over the disappearance and assumed death of her son. She is trying to find closure without a body to bury or the full story of what happened to her beloved Isak. The film includes many flashbacks in which the viewer goes back and sees a scene from the perspective of the other character. The majority of the first half is told from Jan Thomas's point of view, so the audience starts to empathize with the character who would normally be seen as the bad guy right away. As the story unfolds, we begin to see how the incident of Isak's disappearance appeared to Agnes and the rest of the world. When we finally get to see the story from her view, we can understand why she might be desperately looking for answers and closure.
This closure comes nicely as Poppe brings the story full circle. As the friendship between Jan Thomas and the priest, Anna, and her son, Jens, progresses, we begin to see more and more similarities between Jens and Isak. At first Jan Thomas is afraid of Jens because he reminds him so much of Isak. But over time they become friends, and Jan Thomas does his best to give Jens a life Isak should have had. While all this is happening, Agnes realizes that the man who was believed to have kidnapped and killed her son has been released from prison and is befriending a young boy eerily like her son. All the emotion built up and repressed inside of her is set into motion when her oldest daughter, Selma, buries Isak's shoes and gives her what they've been missing the whole time-a grave to visit. To try to relieve her frustration and find some closure in her son's death, she kidnaps Jens in an attempt to save him from the same fate as her son. What she doesn't realize in her desperation is that Jens is not actually in danger. She is not ready to forgive Jan Thomas or believe that he did not kill her son. Jan Thomas quickly realizes what has happened and finds Jens at Agnes and Jon's home. Before he can take Jens back, Agnes kidnaps him as well and brings him to the spot where Isak disappeared. As we see Jens nearly succumb to the same fate as Isak, Agnes realizes what Jan Thomas has been saying all along was true-Isak's death was an accident. In that moment she finally accepts her lot and she and Jan Thomas do what they realize, in hindsight, should have been done for Isak. The message of forgiveness and redemption is seen here in a powerful and emotional scene that had me on the edge of my seat, hoping everything would be okay in the end. The fact that the scene is almost entirely without dialog made it even more powerful. The raw emotion shown by Pål Hagen and Trine Dyrholm is incredible and says it all-to move forward, one must forgive.
Speaking of Hagen and Dyrholm, they and the rest of the actors and actresses did a fantastic job in this film. I think Poppe cast the perfect people for the roles and they played their parts extremely well. They really embodied their characters and captured the feeling of the story. I also really like film techniques used. They really highlighted the idea behind the story. There were several shots where the view was somewhat obscured by a blurry object, often a face. It shows that one must look past what is right in front of them to see clearly what is really happening, as Agnes did when she looked past the label of "murderer" placed on Jan Thomas. Overall, this was a great Norwegian film full of emotion and well put together with intentional casting, filming and story.
I really loved this film. I enjoyed its "Norwegian-ness". There was definitely a dark Nordic feel to it, but I find Norwegian films to have a little bit more of a Hollywood feel to them. For example, the sex scenes in this film were toned down and not nearly as explicit as those from other Nordic films. It feels more like it is geared to an international audience, fit for Norwegian, American and other tastes. There are also very distinctive Norwegian aspects. Norwegian flags are seen throughout Agnes and Jon's house. The prominent role of water and nature is also very Norwegian. In addition to these, I noticed a similarity to Viking tradition. The way Jan Thomas sends Isak down the river after he is presumed dead is reminiscent of a Viking funeral, where the body is sent out to sea. From my experience, Norwegian directors tend to produce films that are more appealing to American audiences compared to other Nordic directors. Erik Poppe keeps up his track record from Hawaii, Oslo in this film as well with another dramatic, captivating Norwegian film.
I found myself struggling to take sides in the film. I think Poppe intentionally presented the story in a way that was unbiased-so there wasn't a "good guy" and a "bad guy." He is trying to show us the human side of everyone. Often in the criminal system dehumanizes those it convicts. We forget that prisoners are people, too, and that almost everyone has a good side to them. This all fits into the theme of redemption, forgiveness, and starting anew in the film. Jan Thomas is trying to put his past behind him and live a new life. At the same time, Agnes is still grieving over the disappearance and assumed death of her son. She is trying to find closure without a body to bury or the full story of what happened to her beloved Isak. The film includes many flashbacks in which the viewer goes back and sees a scene from the perspective of the other character. The majority of the first half is told from Jan Thomas's point of view, so the audience starts to empathize with the character who would normally be seen as the bad guy right away. As the story unfolds, we begin to see how the incident of Isak's disappearance appeared to Agnes and the rest of the world. When we finally get to see the story from her view, we can understand why she might be desperately looking for answers and closure.
This closure comes nicely as Poppe brings the story full circle. As the friendship between Jan Thomas and the priest, Anna, and her son, Jens, progresses, we begin to see more and more similarities between Jens and Isak. At first Jan Thomas is afraid of Jens because he reminds him so much of Isak. But over time they become friends, and Jan Thomas does his best to give Jens a life Isak should have had. While all this is happening, Agnes realizes that the man who was believed to have kidnapped and killed her son has been released from prison and is befriending a young boy eerily like her son. All the emotion built up and repressed inside of her is set into motion when her oldest daughter, Selma, buries Isak's shoes and gives her what they've been missing the whole time-a grave to visit. To try to relieve her frustration and find some closure in her son's death, she kidnaps Jens in an attempt to save him from the same fate as her son. What she doesn't realize in her desperation is that Jens is not actually in danger. She is not ready to forgive Jan Thomas or believe that he did not kill her son. Jan Thomas quickly realizes what has happened and finds Jens at Agnes and Jon's home. Before he can take Jens back, Agnes kidnaps him as well and brings him to the spot where Isak disappeared. As we see Jens nearly succumb to the same fate as Isak, Agnes realizes what Jan Thomas has been saying all along was true-Isak's death was an accident. In that moment she finally accepts her lot and she and Jan Thomas do what they realize, in hindsight, should have been done for Isak. The message of forgiveness and redemption is seen here in a powerful and emotional scene that had me on the edge of my seat, hoping everything would be okay in the end. The fact that the scene is almost entirely without dialog made it even more powerful. The raw emotion shown by Pål Hagen and Trine Dyrholm is incredible and says it all-to move forward, one must forgive.
Speaking of Hagen and Dyrholm, they and the rest of the actors and actresses did a fantastic job in this film. I think Poppe cast the perfect people for the roles and they played their parts extremely well. They really embodied their characters and captured the feeling of the story. I also really like film techniques used. They really highlighted the idea behind the story. There were several shots where the view was somewhat obscured by a blurry object, often a face. It shows that one must look past what is right in front of them to see clearly what is really happening, as Agnes did when she looked past the label of "murderer" placed on Jan Thomas. Overall, this was a great Norwegian film full of emotion and well put together with intentional casting, filming and story.