The Trip
No zombies this week, but you know I picked something dark because it’s Stress Season. Aka, the holidays. This week I went to Norway, where things tend to go really, really dark, really, really quickly. They make solid films up there and I’ve almost never been disappointed.
Lisa and Lars, a married couple who have been doing Ring Around The Arguments a few times, take a trip up to Lars’ dad’s secluded lake cabin. Each of them have serious plans to kill the other. They darn near succeed, but despite their plans things go awry. And then they go…awry-er? It’s ugly, it’s bloody, it’s hilarious, and if you loved that old movie War of the Roses you’ll enjoy this.
At first the humor is light, like Lars’ Boomer father, stuck against his will in a nursing home, declares the younger generation “sure could use a war” to toughen them up. At least make a real man out of Lars. There is a cute moment where Lars is putting together his murder kit, pulling new tools and rope off the shelf at the hardware store. Subtle. It reminded me of the hardware store joke from the film Dod Sno 2, another hilarious and bloody Norwegian movie. They drive way up in the mountains to the cabin, bickering over stuff they seem to have been fighting over for a while. Once they try to kill each other, things get really dark, but if you can take the kind of dark humor that sees shooting a guy with a shotgun, or watching a guy have diarrhea, then you’ll have a few laughs.
Beware, though, there is an unusual sexual assault scene that surprised me. It’s the kind of thing I’m not used to being released to an American audience.
The movie is made on the cheap, with few settings, using practical effects for the violence, but everything works well. I don’t know how much they spent on the Norwegian version of Harper Valley PTA, but it was well worth it. The nearly sixty year old song about shame and illicit violence made me laugh because it’s perfectly placed. Where they spent their money was in the actors, who are all top notch. Noomie Rapace (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is Lisa, but nearly unrecognizable as a blond, and Aksel Hennie (The Martian) is Lars.
I can’t stress to you enough that this movie is violent and gory, and the sexual assault scene is not even a teeny bit funny. But, I also have not given away a major portion of the plot. You’ll have to Google or watch the film to learn it. Let’s just say their murderous intentions get them in a LOT more trouble than they bargained for.
As very dark comedies go, this is pretty good and if you think you can handle it I recommend seeing it. I laughed more than a couple of times and was fascinated by the violence. At one point in my notes I wrote, “Oh! No! LOL!”. I seem to do that a lot when watching Norwegian films.
Trigger Warning: violence and sexual assault
Available On: Netflix
LINKS:
CFR: In Addition
Nope. Nope. Nope.
Sexual assault? Nope. I will not be seeing this movie.
Thanks for warning me, Cranky.
Chick Flicking Reviews 