I think we could say this is a prime example of Nordic efficiency. The main actors responsible in conveying the emotions necessary for this film to be poignant are all well picked and play their role plainly. The minor string-score in the background and slow-mo scenes are there but aren't overly dramatic. The story is terribly simple, a mere reiteration of typical narratives, and yet the viewer gets pulled in and very quickly finds himself curious about what the next scene will bring.
The film is laudable in its efficiency: how they managed to make a whole film (albeit only 1hrs 20) with such a limited amount of characters, how they've managed to keep the film going and produce good enough scenes with so few characters and so little to work with in the story, and finally, in how they managed in such a short time to make the viewer care for those lead roles.
There are interesting choices in the film: showing the older girl teach the little girl how to use a spoon, that familial sisterly bonding and cultural transmission. The daughter-crazy warrior woman, after she's heard one of her better men say to her "let the girls make their choice, let them live their natural lives", shoots right into his heart out of frustration, as she couldn't handle the truth and kills the messenger. And at the end, she finally hears the little girl say "Mommy", but it's only a lure, and it's her naivety that failed her.
Quite a few interesting themes, each scene is good. The relationships betw. the main characters complex and intriguing, and it's very well paced. 7.5/10
The film is laudable in its efficiency: how they managed to make a whole film (albeit only 1hrs 20) with such a limited amount of characters, how they've managed to keep the film going and produce good enough scenes with so few characters and so little to work with in the story, and finally, in how they managed in such a short time to make the viewer care for those lead roles.
There are interesting choices in the film: showing the older girl teach the little girl how to use a spoon, that familial sisterly bonding and cultural transmission. The daughter-crazy warrior woman, after she's heard one of her better men say to her "let the girls make their choice, let them live their natural lives", shoots right into his heart out of frustration, as she couldn't handle the truth and kills the messenger. And at the end, she finally hears the little girl say "Mommy", but it's only a lure, and it's her naivety that failed her.
Quite a few interesting themes, each scene is good. The relationships betw. the main characters complex and intriguing, and it's very well paced. 7.5/10