User Reviews

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.

If you have read anything about the film, including the title of this review, or have seen any trailer, then you already know what the story is about. The film is quiet, haunting and has a quality of foreboding which is quite alluring. It is hardly a horror movie and I could only place it in the fantasy genre.

The plot revolves around huldra, seductive creatures from Nordic folklore that seem to be very beautiful women, but are actually forest creatures. As such, the choice of Silje Reinåmo was very wise; she is very pretty. The film feels almost like a filmed play. After all, there are only four actors in total and a voice.

Even if the lead character is supposedly the one driving the story, the movie being seen from his perspective, the one that really made the film feel real and interesting was, in acting and role, his friend, interpreted by Jon Sigve Skard. A phlegmatic character, he underlines the weirdness of the situation by acting totally cool, creating the appropriate contrast.

Over all it was a nice film, although the entirety of it was pretty much about the same thing and something that was already obvious from the beginning. The feel and the fairytale root of the movie are what makes it worth watching. Some people might get bored by it or enjoy its atmosphere, as I did.

After seeing the first teaser of Thale I wasn't expecting very much of this Norwegian low budget film which is a mix of the genres crime, drama, gore and adventure. The more I got surprised by seeing the film at the cinema.

'Thale' is based on a mythical character in Norwegian folklore called 'Huldra'. A hulder is a beautiful young woman living in water in the dark woods, louring men into the water with them, getting attention with their heavenly singing. This folklore came from warning kids to stay away from waters, back in the ancient times. A hulder looks just like a woman, except you tell it's a hulder by her tail.

The film opens with some rather disgusting scenes, really preparing you on something the film isn't - gory. Two crime scene washers comes to a cottage out in the deep woods. It's a long time since I've seen such a start of a film involving blood, stiff body and puking. But the film soon changes more into a thriller when the two men find i cellar looking like a serial killers office. Then they discover Thale...

It's easy to see that this film is low budget, but there's much talent here. Silje Reinåmo (Thale) is very good, and the CGI is handled well. Norwegian folklore suits CGI great. With more work on the script, this could easily have been a classic like "TrollHunter".

Far from perfect, but I'll give a 6/10 for the talent and the difference. I'd like to see more on a larger budget and a more thorough script.

lots of sci-fi,s start slow,then pick up speed.This Nordic thriller starts off with a bang,and actually gets better.Being into folklore from anywhere,i had heard of this film,and after a bit of a wait,i got to check it out.I was very pleased.As many people here in the states may remember, a year ,or so ago,a movie sorta like this came out.Not even close.This story is a good one,with great acting,interesting plot,and fx. i love a good sci-fi,and on that note,i was happy,but this story is good,simple to follow,gripping,and well told(a very good "tail" )-all in all ,a solid 6-pop some corn,grab a cold drink,and just watch.Enjoy !

I must admit that the DVD cover for the movie is quite alluring, and I had the sense that it would either be a good movie or fail miserably. And now having seen it, I must say that I was impressed.

The movie isn't extraordinary in any way, as it was limited by budget and also limited to a very small aspect of a potentially greater storyline. But still, the movie was entertaining and good fun to watch.

Now, when I say that I was impressed, I mean by the performances put on by Silje Reinåmo (playing Thale), Erlend Nervold (playing Elvis) and especially Jon Sigve Skard (playing Leo). They did really good jobs with their characters and carried the movie so well.

I believe that you have to really be accustomed to Norwegian folklore and legends to really get the storyline of this movie. Without such knowledge, the movie can be a little bit indifferent I suppose. And one thing that I was puzzled about was why Thale was so different from the other Hulda people in the forest. Gives you something to think about.

The story in "Thale" is about Leo and Elvis who are out deep in the forest on a cleaning job on a very messy site, when they discover a hidden entrance to a basement. They scale the stairs and find a small laboratory of sorts hidden beneath the surface. And here they also find a young, beautiful, naked woman in a bathtub. Leo and Elvis find themselves wrapped up in some mysterious events as they start to find out who or what Thale really is.

This movie came out of nowhere and proved to be good fun to watch. Norway has more to offer than just majestic scenery and black metal.

Just finished watching Thale and found myself more than impressed. Made on a shoe string budget by rising Norwegian director Aleksander Nordaas, the film explores the huldra a mythical being from Nordic folklore. Without giving anything away I will just say that the acting, especially that of the very beautiful Silje Reinåmo in the title role, was excellent for such a low budget picture. The CGI and cinematography in the movie also impressed offering another breathtaking view of the Norwegian countryside. The film is let down slightly by some holes in the storyline and ultimately by the ending which I found could have been done so much better. This said Thale is an excellent example of what an imaginative director can fulfill within the confines of a small budget.

After a death in a cabin in the woods, Leo (Jon Sigve Skard) is hired to clean the crime scene. He brings his recently hired assistant Elvis (Erlend Nervold) that is not accustomed to the blood. He accidentally discovers a female creature with appearance of woman hidden in the basement and tapes. He learns that Thale (Silje Reinåmo) was kept in captivity and submitted to experiments by her captor. Further she is not able to speak and only sings. Out of the blue, Leo and Elvis are captured by a group of paramilitary soldiers and their leader wants to know where Thale is. What will happen to Thales?

"Thale" is an eerie Norwegian supernatural film. The story is based on the hulder of the Scandinavian folklore and in accordance with the Wikipedia, "a hulder is a seductive forest creature". Unfortunately the story is too short and consequently the plot is developed in too slow pace with a boring narrative. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Segredo Sombrio" ("Dark Secret")

very nice little sleeper of a film. The actress who plays the title character is simply beautiful. It's a understated bit of cinema, with some very nice shots. Beautiful landscapes and nice camera work.

I have a big issue with people comparing this to Troll Hunter. I get that they're both from Norway and focus on Norwegian folklore. However, to say that Troll Hunter is great and this is not is like saying apples are great while pears are not. You simply cannot compare the two.

I believe that Thale had roughly one third of Troll Hunters budget, yet its very beautiful. Again, if you're looking for bombast, Troll Hunter has that... but this is a quite good film.

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.

Nordic Noir may be all the rage at the moment, and The Killing and The Bridge are indeed impressive achievements. But Thale proves the old Scandinavians are no slouch when it comes to horror movies either... although this particular one isn't the 'quake in your frilly knickers' sort.

Instead, it provides a fascinating insight on what might happen if an 'alien' creature was kept prisoner by a well-meaning scientist, and the resulting fallout when two men hired to clean out the property find her, after said egghead dies. She demonstrates incredible power, psychic abilities and weird eating habits, but there are some ruthless people after her who'll let nothing stand in their way. Alongside members of her own race, who want her back...

It ain't thrill a minute, but the plot and performances are of sufficient quality to keep one hooked, and even moving in some cases. Being short in length helps too, keeping unnecessary padding at bay for the most part. Special mention must go to Silje Reinamo, who not only convinces as a sympathetic extraterrestrial creature, but bravely hops around starkers for half the duration. Oops, hope I haven't unwittingly attracted the wrong sort of audience with that revelation... 6/10

It is safe to assume that Elvis and Leo do a job that few people could stomach. They clean up crime scenes. After the bodies have been removed, they clean up the pools of blood and bits of human remains that litter the scene. It's not a pleasant job but somebody's got to do it. Decked out in masks and bright yellow hazmat suits, they go about their business, picking up the pieces of someone else's inhumanity against his fellow man.

From the first moment, it becomes clear that Leo (Jon Sigve Skard) is easily equipped to handle this. Elvis (Erlend Nervold), who vomits profusely into a nearby bucket, seems less so. From this unappetizing scene, we get the feeling that Thale will be a movie about what these guys do for a living. Indeed, following their day to day routine might have been fascinating, but admittedly hard to stomach. Yet, we soon find that we're wrong. Thale is an odd, mysterious and somewhat beguiling supernatural thriller from Norway that is built on mood and atmosphere and suspense made up of things that we learn along the way. It is a relief to find a movie this quiet and moody when so many thrillers fall back on the standard of jack-in-the-box terror.

In a series of creepy images banded with effectively melancholy music, the next scene reveals quick-cut elements that we only understand later. Leo and Elvis find that their next job is to clean up a crime scene that reminds us, uncomfortably, of Buffalo Bill's lair in The Silence of the Lambs. Waiting for a professional team to show up, Elvis begins to poke around. Something in the way this house is laid out seems to be more than meets the eye. Leo urges him not to go snooping around, but Elvis' natural curiosity gets the better of him. A small cold filthy room reveals jars of liquids, strings of dim lights and a bathtub filled with milky water invites investigation, though a more cautious individual might have not have proceeded any further.

From this point, I may discuss certain plot points. So if you want to see the movie cold, you may want to stop here.

What he discovers isn't all that unusual. Beneath the milky water is a naked girl who seems to have been there for some time. She is alive, but terrified. She doesn't speak, but an old tape recorder reveals that her name is Thale (Silje Reinåmo). What Elvis comes to understand is that she is more than a victim. This room is more than a torture chamber, and her reasons for being in this location reveal that she is possibly not suppose to exist. Neither, by the way, is whatever is skulking around outside.

It would be cruel to reveal what happens next, but safe to say it isn't what we expect. This isn't one of those movie with screaming victims and cheapo shocks. It is the kind of movie where the thrills come from what the characters discover for themselves. Elvis and Leo have stumbled upon something that is possibly bigger than both of them. Holed up in that room with Thale, something else manifests itself, something else that isn't suppose to exist.

What is even more interesting is what we learn about Elvis and Leo along the way. In just a few tiny passages of dialogue, Elvis and Leo become full-blooded people, not just pawns to be chased around by a boogeyman. It is curious to see a supernatural thriller like this that takes a few seconds to give its characters a bit of dimension. They aren't fully-realizes souls but they have lives that we can imagine exist apart from their predicament.

Having recently sat through the halfwit (not to mention boring) nonsense of Fede Alvarez's remake of Evil Dead, this movie comes as a breath of fresh air. While it isn't a perfect film, Thale exudes a measure of tension and grounds its story in reality before revealing the supernatural forces that are present. This is the kind of movie that builds slowly, giving us time to discover things. It has the patience to reveal the story as it unfolds rather than explain everything all at once and then march us to an inevitable conclusion. It may not be to every taste. It moves slowly and has long passages where we wait for something to happen, but given the sad state of most other films in this genre, we welcome the chance to discover things for ourselves.

***1/2 (of four)

Another Norwegian flick about folklore. After Trollhunter (2010) we have this low budget flick. It do contain a bit of CGI when the 'Huldra's' are walking around but it's all about a captured girl called Thale who is in fact a Huldra. Huldra's do have a...tail (read thale) and sometimes it did remind me of Splice (2009).

But here it's told like a lullaby just before you go to sleep. That's maybe the only negative thing about this flick. It doesn't contain gore or real horror. It do has a few jump moments but once thale shows her ugly side it doesn't become gory or bloody even as she attacks the intruders. Even as thale (Silje Reinåmo) walks around for 90% in her nudies it never becomes gratuitous.

I guess that most of the horror buffs will mostly prefer Trollhunter but this here also do offer a few things. A happy ending for Leo and it's up to you if thale has something to do with it or not. People who know the story about huldra's will love it for others it's a rare flick.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 3/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

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.

Who'd imagine there are so many word-plays with this? I actually could Thale. Seriously though and maybe in the vain of some of the strange humor that can be found in this: The story is more of a myth or something you could imagine being told as good night story (or rather at a campfire come to think of it).

It starts of normal and easy enough but veers into strange territory pretty fast. Which of course has to do with the short running time. It's a good thing the movie is not really long, trying to stretch a really good idea. There are some flaws after the initial realization of what's happening, but the overall mood of the film is consistent and it's surely not something you have witnessed in many movies. Kudos to the filmmakers.

I was encouraged to buy this DVD on the back of some of the reviews I'd read here and at amazon.com. I also really enjoyed Troll Hunter which compared to this "effort" is an Oscar Winner.

I found Thale to be a total disappointment. The "special effects" are not special and look like they cost less than £500. The plot which is incredibly slow and at times hard to understand must have been written on the back of a cigarette packet. The characters, apart from Thale, speak and move at a snail's pace adding to the shear frustration felt in trying to follow the story. My advice is not to waste the 1 hour 15 minutes of your life in watching it.

1st watched 9/1/2013 – 7 out of 10(Dir-Aleksander Nordaas): Extremely well paced fantasy/horror/drama film about a couple of clean-up guys from murder scenes who discover a girl alive in a basement dwelling who may be something other than just a girl. This movie does a great job of revealing bits and pieces of the story as it goes along until you finally understand everything at the very end. The main character(found in the basement), Thale, is one of a few of her kind – but she was kept away from the others by a slightly-abusive but mostly fatherly scientist in hopes of keeping her away from the scarier characteristics(like eating people) of the rest of the Tailed-group. This movie mixes many different genre's but keeps the main focus on the story when it could have become overly filled with special effects, gore or sex appeal(which would have happened if it was American made). A sequel is supposedly coming in the English language with the same director and hopefully it isn't butchered by American influences. The movie focuses primarily of where Thale came from, how she became who she is, and where she is going in the end. A clichéd side story about government cover-up is the only downside to the movie, but at least this is kept to a minimum. This is very similar to Species but with some different twists to the story making it unique enough to be seen. Please watch this – you will definitely be engrossed for 76 minutes. This is another foreign film that deserves more attention by Americans.

The movie have a interesting premise of this unknown female humanoid creature, but the execution is really weak. I do think the story is interesting with the characters discovered this humanoid creature and start to learn about what she is. The movie shows the viewers flashbacks of one of the deceased character finding and learning about her. And the movie have a couple of eerie moments in it.

The biggest problem with the movie is that I wish the movie expanded more on the sources it have like going into details of these hulders creatures and why the paramilitary soldiers wants her badly. Most of the movie spends a lot of time with the characters learning about Thale and them waiting for someone for a long time. Also the horror aspects is really weak with a few cheap jump scares and the movie isn't that suspenseful at all because it happens way too quickly.

I've seen a lot of low budget movies but this one would have made a great movie if it had more funds. It starts with the friendship between Leo and Elvis who work together. You can see the opposite chemistry in them when Elvis seems to be the more emotional, soft sided type and Leo is the one more calm, more tough that keeps it all together. The journey takes them to a basement where they find a woman named "Thale", the huldra. Despite other reviews of the movie concentrated more on misoginism i see it as this. The huldra appears first as a frail woman, naked which for her seemed natural and defenceless which would be psichologically a natural state. She had just lost the one taking care of her and met with the two strangers after no contact with other humans . The storyline of the movie is pretty good but a bit lost also . The author did a great job in telling the huldra's story and why she was like she was but the narration from the tapes and of her description is actually wrong. The huldra only acted violent when threatened which was a primary instinct but in the end it only shows that she was unknowledgable to the world around her and had her own sense of right and wrong.

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 the 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.