Have you ever done something in your past that you tried to hide? In the film Troubled Water, directed by Erik Poppe, one main character Jan, also known as Thomas, plays a role in a stealing a stroller resulting in the murder of a young boy named Isak. Thomas goes to prison and after release he finds work playing an organ for a church. When a some children from school take a field trip to the church, the teacher (Agnes) just happens to be the mother of Isak. The film follows both the stories Thomas and Agnes. Agnes and her family are struggling to cope with the loss of Isak. Troubled Water is just another movie with a message of forgiveness and moving on with your life after tragedy strikes. The characters either have a skeleton in their closet or have to forgive someone else. Even though the main question of why did Thomas murder the boy is never answered, the film is very easy to understand.
How does a mother deal with the loss of her child by murder? Poppe has Agnes dwelling in the past and use different ways to come to terms with the loss of Isak. During the scene with the field trip, the camera does a close up of Agnes's face when she sees Thomas. Her eyes are huge and she is staring at him. Then the camera moves around and shows the faces of the innocent children. Even though this is very small and little attention is brought to this detail, but Poppe has the camera show Agnes's car in scenes when Thomas is outside. Showing Agnes has not moved on since the death of her son. Agnes even goes so far as to adopt two new children, but they don't replace Isak in her heart. Her children feel that their mother only wanted them as replacement children. This film shows that attempting to replace children does not work and stalking your child's killer prevents you from moving on with your life.
Bridge Over Troubled Water has a powerful theme of forgiveness. Usually before receiving forgiveness, the criminal will give an explanation why he or she committed the crime. The Pastor, Anna, is trusting enough to let her child be around Thomas. Even though Anna is unmarried, she is still a pastor. In the Lutheran Church, pre-marital sex is a sin, but Anna still has sex with Thomas, and we know this was not her first time because of her son, Jens. The church provides a safe sanctuary for forgiveness and gives the Thomas and Anna the ability to move on from their past and start a new life. Ironically just like in baptism when the reciepent's former life is washed away and he or she becomes a member of Christ's family. The song troubled water even goes with forgiveness. The title Troubled Water could refer to the craziness and sin the character's lives and the bridge is overcoming and forgiving each other. Even though this is a Nordic film, the phrase, "It is water under the bridge," applies to the film.
To make certain moments more intense and draw attention to certain moments, Poppe repeats the scenes later on in the film and uses music. For example when Thomas and another teenage boy are stealing Isak and his stroller is shown more than once. Each time the scene is repeated something is added so the viewer has a better understanding of what actually happened. The second time the scene is shown we can see a violin case in the stroller. In the scene when Thomas is playing the organ, the camera circles around him and light is shining on his face. This combination creates powerful emotions. Thomas playing the organ is a way for him to let out some of his emotions and express himself.
Overall Bridge Over Troubled Water is emotionally powerful and moving. Poppe brightly shows once a mother, she will will always be a mother to the child. Even in Agnes's case her child Isak died, but she still has maternal feelings toward her son. The split narrative between Thomas and Agnes gives two points of view, the murder and the parent of the victim. Characters learn how to deal with their past and forgive others for sinning against them. Even the pastor is a single mother and her congregation still respects her even though pre-marital sex is against the will of God in the Christian tradition. Music is a powerful tool and a great way to express emotions. Poppe used elements such as camera angles, music, and repetition to reinforce and draw attention to key events in the film. In conclusion this film was easy to watch, gives a general lesson in forgiveness, and easy to understand.
How does a mother deal with the loss of her child by murder? Poppe has Agnes dwelling in the past and use different ways to come to terms with the loss of Isak. During the scene with the field trip, the camera does a close up of Agnes's face when she sees Thomas. Her eyes are huge and she is staring at him. Then the camera moves around and shows the faces of the innocent children. Even though this is very small and little attention is brought to this detail, but Poppe has the camera show Agnes's car in scenes when Thomas is outside. Showing Agnes has not moved on since the death of her son. Agnes even goes so far as to adopt two new children, but they don't replace Isak in her heart. Her children feel that their mother only wanted them as replacement children. This film shows that attempting to replace children does not work and stalking your child's killer prevents you from moving on with your life.
Bridge Over Troubled Water has a powerful theme of forgiveness. Usually before receiving forgiveness, the criminal will give an explanation why he or she committed the crime. The Pastor, Anna, is trusting enough to let her child be around Thomas. Even though Anna is unmarried, she is still a pastor. In the Lutheran Church, pre-marital sex is a sin, but Anna still has sex with Thomas, and we know this was not her first time because of her son, Jens. The church provides a safe sanctuary for forgiveness and gives the Thomas and Anna the ability to move on from their past and start a new life. Ironically just like in baptism when the reciepent's former life is washed away and he or she becomes a member of Christ's family. The song troubled water even goes with forgiveness. The title Troubled Water could refer to the craziness and sin the character's lives and the bridge is overcoming and forgiving each other. Even though this is a Nordic film, the phrase, "It is water under the bridge," applies to the film.
To make certain moments more intense and draw attention to certain moments, Poppe repeats the scenes later on in the film and uses music. For example when Thomas and another teenage boy are stealing Isak and his stroller is shown more than once. Each time the scene is repeated something is added so the viewer has a better understanding of what actually happened. The second time the scene is shown we can see a violin case in the stroller. In the scene when Thomas is playing the organ, the camera circles around him and light is shining on his face. This combination creates powerful emotions. Thomas playing the organ is a way for him to let out some of his emotions and express himself.
Overall Bridge Over Troubled Water is emotionally powerful and moving. Poppe brightly shows once a mother, she will will always be a mother to the child. Even in Agnes's case her child Isak died, but she still has maternal feelings toward her son. The split narrative between Thomas and Agnes gives two points of view, the murder and the parent of the victim. Characters learn how to deal with their past and forgive others for sinning against them. Even the pastor is a single mother and her congregation still respects her even though pre-marital sex is against the will of God in the Christian tradition. Music is a powerful tool and a great way to express emotions. Poppe used elements such as camera angles, music, and repetition to reinforce and draw attention to key events in the film. In conclusion this film was easy to watch, gives a general lesson in forgiveness, and easy to understand.