PSALM 21

Sweden 2009

Run time: 95 minutes

Director: Fredrik Hiller

Studio: Krejaren Dramaproduktion

DVD release: Krejaren Dramaproduktion

Oh my Lord! (No pun intended!) Once in a while, albeit much too seldom, one finds oneself utterly blown away by a motion picture experience. It goes without saying that this is true for all genres, but pertaining to the horror genre, the last time I felt this overwhelmed by a work of the macabre has to be when I saw Brad Anderson’s sublime Session 9 back in 2002, a film I still to this day rate as the greatest horror film of the 00s. Although it might be a bit early in the game, I coincidently feel as if I may very well have sampled the current decades title winner or at the very least, a close runner up. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Psalm 21 is that damn good.

The young priest Henrik Horneus (Jonas Malmsjö) is a modern preacher of the New Testament verity, whose interpretation of the good book is one of love and forgiveness - virtues he tries to bestow on the members of his congregation every Sunday morning, while smiling a little too hard for comfort.

In the midst of one of said sermons, he unwisely chooses to tackle his father Gabriel’s (Per Ragnar) favorite psalm, the 21th from the book of David or “Praise for Deliverance from the Enemy” to be precise and from then on in, it’s as if Henrik’s path is somehow destined to take a turn for the harrowing and surreal.

Starting while consoling a tormented elderly member of his flock and coming to a head that very evening when confronted with the distressing news of his father’s sudden passing, an understandingly distraught Henrik decides to drop everything at hand and venture out into the ominous wilderness his father called home to further investigate the strange circumstances surrounding his death. It is here in these cold and merciless woods with only the company of his father’s grave followers in the form of the mysterious Lidman family, that he is forced to delve ever deeper into the painful events of utter darkness that make up his own past and the unforgiving sins his Father has bestow upon him.

It’s not often that I find myself completely lost for words after watching a movie, as more often than not there are different components that compromise the viewing experience, but nevertheless that’s exactly how I felt after watching Fredrik Hiller’s wildly ambitious and flawlessly executed feature film debut Psalm 21.

Never mind the fact that the film look like a million bucks, but to have the talent and ability to facture a virtually unblemished script and further execute it with this level of professionalism and conviction, substituted brilliance in my humble opinion.

Rumored to have had a budget of 800.000 Swedish kroner or about US$ 130.000 which, if true, quite frankly boggles the mind, given that the technical aspects of the film are immaculate and wholly on par with any $20 million movie that constitutes low-budget filmmaking in Hollywood these days.

Shot on Red One by first time DP Andres Rignell, who handles the lighting of night and day scenes equally impressive and furthermore never seems to run out of steam in regards to creating interesting and original framings or compositions - a talent with a bright future indeed.

Great praise must likewise go to the effects team responsible for the, quite frankly, horrifying F/X of demonic presentiment on to the film’s cast, both practical and digital. I’ve seldom encountered a more disturbing or frightening representation of hellish incarnations on screen, trickery that’s greatly assisted by the director’s decision to use it on already established characters (as opposed to unknown beings, jumping out of the dark) whom with a quick somber glance or subtle harrowing expression, forewarns that an ungodly entity is indeed lurking just beneath their crackling façade. This does wonders for the film’s ever escalating sense of tension and the ability to conjure up a feeling of dread and unease in the viewing audience.

The ensemble cast of well established and veteran Swedish actors is nothing short of magnificent, but special mention must go to Jonas Malmsjö for his portrayal of the tormented soul Henrik Horneus. He excels throughout, conveying a wide variety of emotions onto the viewer without ever resorting to hyperbole or lame theatrical traits. Personally I’ll be keeping a close eye on him in the future based solely on this masterful performance.

It’s likewise a treat to witness the great performance by Björn Bengtsson as Olli - the eldest son of the God fearing Lidman clan, and the terrific character actor Per Ragnar, whom horror fans might recognize from the beautiful coming of age story Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008), who played the misguided “father figure” Håkan, whom, in the midst of one brief scene managed to install more malevolent menace into the demonic patriarch Gabriel than most screen actors administrates in their entire careers, playing limp bad guys.

Psalm 21 is, as mentioned before, an incredibly ambitious film that tackles grand existential themes such as the nature of evil, the origins of faith and free will contrasting religious belief as a higher power. Some might call pretension but that would be giving in to mediocrity and doing oneself a great disservice as an intelligent and profound horror film is indeed a rarity these days and need to be revered and celebrated as such, rather then dismissed and simplified by the obtuse members of our community.

Some readers might think that I’ve been a little vague in my overall description of the film, but this is merely a tactic, employed to best ensure that the potential viewer is as unspoiled and in the dark as possible to better help maximize the effects of the terror that await.

Fredrik Hiller has crafted an intelligent yet deeply disturbing psychological horror film about the pitfalls of religion, that will hopefully stand the test of time and for me personally it would constitute great enjoyment to see this being played for respected members of the Vatican, as I feel the film as a whole represents a far greater treat to their establishment than grade A nonsense like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

DVD:

The DVD reviewed is a screener and therefore there are no special features or sound options included.

 

Copyright © 2009  |  www.horror-unrated.com  |  All rights reserved
Powered by www.hacnix.dk