Insomnia (1997)They say that a guilty conscience needs no accuser; for legendary investigator Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård), the guilt which weighs down on him from a fatal mistake while working on a case in northern Norway is a slow poison destroying him. As if that wasn't enough, this is exacerbated by--and potentially a factor in his tragic error--the endless daylight above the Arctic Circle, in the "land of the Midnight Sun", which seeks to further deprive him of sleep. Not to mention his sordid past, which serves as a black mark for him to those in the know; Engström's nightmare assignment is a waking one.
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Insomnia (1997) is a suspenseful thriller; although it deals with tracking down a killer--whom is not immediately revealed to us--it is less a mystery than a nail-biter, where the cop in pursuit of the criminal find they have an uncomfortable amount in common. Insomnia was later remade as an American film by Christopher Nolan--set in Alaska--but the themes remain the same. Director and co-writer Erik Skjoldbjærg tells a story of a cop whose reputation precedes him--as do his missteps, few though they may be--who is accompanied by his partner, the sometimes forgetful, older detective, Erik Vik (Sverre Anker Ousdal). They are experts--professionals--who know all the interrogation games, like "good cop, bad cop"; ironic that Engström always seems to play bad cop. Engström is a lonely man--he tells the sweet desk clerk of his hotel, Ane (Maria Bonnevie), that he has no family. Engström further comments that his brother died when he was eleven, and that he used to invent tales--which he acknowledges grew more and more unlikely--about what actually happened to him. This doesn't give enough evidence to prove that Engström is a habitual liar, but it does show that he does lie in order to achieve the results he desires. Engström does not think so much like a detective, but like a criminal. This not only suggests how he has built up a strong reputation for his ability to solve crimes, but also what inevitably draws him to the crime fiction writer, Jon Holt (Bjørn Floberg); the two men share a connection which is born out of necessity less than friendship. But as they reluctantly begin to know one another--are forced into one another's company--they discover similarities between them which cannot be denied. These similarities cause Engström to rankle in disgust; Holt remains persistently cautious of the ever-deteriorating detective. Holt has spent years writing about crime, and understands what Engström is trying to achieve, even if they can only find common ground on the basis of mutual gain...or mutual destruction.
Insomnia is a story of cleverness turned back upon the wielder; when the cops try to ambush the killer of the young high school girl at an abandoned shed--but fumble the attempt--they are forced to chase the suspect through the dense fog enveloping the moors. The fog mirrors the onset of fatigue and weariness creeping its way into Engström, having already suffered with trying to sleep in a place where it is never dark. In this moment, Engström misjudges his target--who has already been firing upon the police as he attempts escape--and he ends up fatally shooting the wrong man. Engström does not admit to the error, but conceals it, blaming the suspect instead. Why does he misrepresent the fact so blatantly? Pride, perhaps, or a fear of what would happen to him, given his already besmirched history. Or even guilt; Engström may not be a model law enforcement officer--his mind tends to gravitate toward sex as a motive first, and when his defenses are down, he finds himself giving into his arousals--but there is no motivation for him to slay another in cold blood. Engström lies, and when he is pressed to give a testimony of the events, you sense him sinking deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of his deception, his lies compounding upon themselves. He adopts the "cold and calculating" methods which he accuses the very same killer of doing; for added dramatic irony, he also comments that the killer's arrogance will trip him up. Although it is not explored as deeply, there is a consensus that because Engström is Swedish, his dealings with the Norwegians is colored by this, that the Norwegians suspect that the Swedes look down on them, also highlighting the perception of Engström as arrogant, even if this is an unfair conclusion. As Engström tries to sleep, he finds no respite in the process; the light filters in through the blinds--which happens to remind me a bit of a Porky Pig cartoon--and Engström finds that between his fatigue and his guilt, he hallucinates his unfortunate victim, telling him a story over and over. He sees him walking as though alive, and he loses his perspective and focus. His weariness augments his already primed sense of paranoia, as a colleague who even seems to find him attractive at first, evidenced by a little flirting--this being local detective Hilde Hagen (Gisken Armand)--gradually doubts his capacity to perform on the case, catching inconsistency after inconsistency. Engström was brought in to solve a complex crime, and yet his introduction to the case has only made the events more complex, while also testing him in ways he could not have foreseen, even in his elusive dreams.
Recommended for: Fans of a well-lit film noir--if that label truly fits, given how bright the film is. A suspenseful story which blurs the lines between cops and killers, while avoiding sympathizing with either.
Insomnia is a story of cleverness turned back upon the wielder; when the cops try to ambush the killer of the young high school girl at an abandoned shed--but fumble the attempt--they are forced to chase the suspect through the dense fog enveloping the moors. The fog mirrors the onset of fatigue and weariness creeping its way into Engström, having already suffered with trying to sleep in a place where it is never dark. In this moment, Engström misjudges his target--who has already been firing upon the police as he attempts escape--and he ends up fatally shooting the wrong man. Engström does not admit to the error, but conceals it, blaming the suspect instead. Why does he misrepresent the fact so blatantly? Pride, perhaps, or a fear of what would happen to him, given his already besmirched history. Or even guilt; Engström may not be a model law enforcement officer--his mind tends to gravitate toward sex as a motive first, and when his defenses are down, he finds himself giving into his arousals--but there is no motivation for him to slay another in cold blood. Engström lies, and when he is pressed to give a testimony of the events, you sense him sinking deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of his deception, his lies compounding upon themselves. He adopts the "cold and calculating" methods which he accuses the very same killer of doing; for added dramatic irony, he also comments that the killer's arrogance will trip him up. Although it is not explored as deeply, there is a consensus that because Engström is Swedish, his dealings with the Norwegians is colored by this, that the Norwegians suspect that the Swedes look down on them, also highlighting the perception of Engström as arrogant, even if this is an unfair conclusion. As Engström tries to sleep, he finds no respite in the process; the light filters in through the blinds--which happens to remind me a bit of a Porky Pig cartoon--and Engström finds that between his fatigue and his guilt, he hallucinates his unfortunate victim, telling him a story over and over. He sees him walking as though alive, and he loses his perspective and focus. His weariness augments his already primed sense of paranoia, as a colleague who even seems to find him attractive at first, evidenced by a little flirting--this being local detective Hilde Hagen (Gisken Armand)--gradually doubts his capacity to perform on the case, catching inconsistency after inconsistency. Engström was brought in to solve a complex crime, and yet his introduction to the case has only made the events more complex, while also testing him in ways he could not have foreseen, even in his elusive dreams.
Recommended for: Fans of a well-lit film noir--if that label truly fits, given how bright the film is. A suspenseful story which blurs the lines between cops and killers, while avoiding sympathizing with either.