Hoyte van Hoytema is a Swiss cinematographer who, in his first Swedish collaboration, helped create the stunning visuals and shots that made “Let The Right One In.” He has returned to Sweden for yet another film which as started strongly in Sweden and garnered some strong reviews from Dagens Nyheter, NST, and a few other news sources. The project itself is described as a Polanski-esque thriller/morbid drama, and it certainly does look the part.  A touch of creepiness in this one shot is pretty much a preview of what one would expect to find more and more of in this film. The story revolves around a series of brutal murders, one of which is discovered by the main character. Her interaction with the phenomenon extends far beyond the mere discovery, as she is quickly thrown into a topsy-turvy world of emotional and mental anguish and a haunting presence that begins to drive her. Obsessed with the crimes and the violence she begins to visit the places of the brutal murders, and slowly she slips deeper into the world of murder, intrigue, and mystery.

The film has a serious touch of literary creativity, as can be expected from the Director, Kristian Petri, who worked mostly with searing documentaries. The script, too was shelved for 15 years before being taken as the source of the film. As a result it certainly has characteristics of some of the older greats from decades gone past. A sense of Hitchcock, Antonioni and Polanski stalk their way through the scenes. It is an unusual film in this day and age.

It also marks another strong outing by a Swedish film that has chilling overtones in a market usually far too fond of depressing teen dramas or slapstick comedy. An increased interest in the foreign film market should make more of these films available in the US and the rest of Europe. The trend of smaller, more delicately crafted films being able to find domestic and subsequently international success is something that the international horror fan should certainly be looking forward to.