My Take:
Forget about loud monsters. Thelma is a Scandinavian psychological thriller that chills your blood with its atmosphere. The title character, raised in a strictly religious home, leaves for university and falls in love with a woman for the first time. However, this emotional awakening triggers something terrifying—powerful, supernatural abilities she cannot control. It’s a brilliant metaphor for the fear of one’s own nature.
What's Captivating: Visual perfection. Every frame in this film is calculated, from the sterile university hallways to the dark lakes of Norway. The opera scene is one of the most tense moments I’ve ever experienced in cinema. It’s a horror that happens "under the skin"—quiet, but striking with immense force.
A Word of Caution: The pacing is slow (a classic slow-burn). Don’t expect action every 5 minutes; here, the tension builds gradually, much like in the best Alfred Hitchcock films.
Verdict: 9/10 🏳️🌈❄️
A magnetic film that blends a coming-out story with a dark fairy tale. An absolute must-watch.
🔍 Did you know...?
To prepare for the film, director Joachim Trier studied the history of witch hunts and medical cases of people suffering from psychosomatic seizures. He wanted Thelma's powers to look not like a superpower, but like a physical reaction to trauma and the repression of her own feelings. Interestingly, the snake scene was filmed using a real python—actress Eili Harboe had to remain perfectly still with a live animal right next to her face!
: #Thriller, #ScandinavianCinema, #Supernatural.
