Border

Border is one of the most bizarre pieces I've seen recently. The weirdest genre mash-up you could ever hope for. A Scandinavian fairy tale about two creatures in love at the intersection of the human and supernatural worlds, with a detective plot and a pervasive critique of human society. The makeup artists did a really good and frighteningly convincing job creating one of the most unattractive couples in film history. Also interesting was the concept of troll mythology, which made for more than one WTF moment. It's definitely a noteworthy film, and I can understand any rating for it. (04/11/2020)

My first impressions of the film were very mixed. Interesting story, interesting characters, very beautiful style, but something was missing. After revealing important insights to everything that happens to the two main characters, my experience of the film was strong. The fact that we don't know these facts from the beginning of the film is tremendously cool, because the film allows you to wake up your thoughts and experience Tina's story through her eyes - in not knowing. I give tremendous praise to the film's conclusion - or rather, the metaphorical last third of the film - for its engaging take on an ordinary story. (08/28/2023)

I caught up with this Scandinavian oddity and to my surprise it's decent and recommendable. The story focuses on Tina, who looks weird and is quite creepy, her life is not worth much and she works as a customs officer at an airport. But she has specially developed olfactory abilities and she can smell fear, guilt and other emotions from people, and thanks to that she catches some pedophiles. Her life changes, when she meets Vore, who has a similarly repulsive appearance, and they begin a sort of bizarre romance (the sex scene with them is very repulsive indeed). The film mixes multiple genres, it's interwoven with Norse mythology, it manages to shock (it gets quite intense at the end), and the whole thing is so strange, interesting and novel that I really enjoyed it. Scandinavian weirdness with all the trimmings. 7/10. (03/29/2024)

What a bizarre film. Initially, I thought I'd complain about the slow pacing, but honestly, I can't imagine this story told at a breakneck speed. Yes, it's definitely a slow burn, so action movie lovers might last twenty minutes tops, but I actually enjoyed the result of this Swedish-Danish collaboration. Anthropology enthusiasts should definitely give this film a watch for its fascinating glimpse into a blind alley of evolutionary development. On the other hand, dentists and their sensitive patients might want to skip it. The filmmakers have created a truly unique genre mashup; one moment, you're watching a heartfelt, melancholic drama, and the next, you're trying to erase from your memory some bizarre forest scenes convincing you that the ultimate sexual experience involves a fungal infection. I've seen a lot in my years, so I'm not pretending to be shocked or disgusted. But I wouldn't recommend it to the younger, less worldly audience or the more delicate aesthetes. Despite Tina's unusual appearance and eccentric behavior, I found her quite endearing. I wasn't bored for a second, despite the leisurely pace. / Lesson Learned: A moose is a troll's best friend. (05/09/2024)

Border has a detective storyline that strays into festival-movie bizarreness with diverse thoughtgerms. Despite what seems like elements of fantasy, we remain firmly rooted in reality, which makes it all the more frightening and disturbing. The creator calls it “Nordic realism”. It is a psychological, physical and, in some places, perhaps even repulsive experience for some, but always socially reflective and comrehensible from all angles. Plus, there’s some comic relief, which is probably deliberate, but I’m not sure. [Cannes] (05/10/2018)