The Guilty
2018, 85 minutes, DCP, R
Denmark
Language: In Danish with English subtitles
Director: Gustav Möller
Cast: Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Johan Olsen, and Omar Shargawi
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
When police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is demoted to deskwork, he expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher. That all changes when he answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman who then disconnects abruptly. Asger, confined to the police station, is forced to use others as his eyes and ears as the severity of the crime slowly becomes more clear. The search to find the missing woman and her assailant will take every bit of his intuition and skill, as a ticking clock and his own personal demons conspire against him.
This innovative and unrelenting Danish thriller uses a single location to great effect, ratcheting up the tension as twists pile up and secrets are revealed. Director Gustav Möller expertly frames the increasingly messy proceedings against the clean Scandinavian sterility of the police department, while Cedergren’s strong performance anchors the film and places the audience squarely in Holm’s tragically flawed yet well-intentioned mindspace.
NYT Critic’s Pick:
“Ingenious… This immediately involving story bends and turns in surprising, sometimes horrifying ways.”
— Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
“Riveting… A chamber piece that never slows down. It’s only a matter of time before Hollywood snatches up the remake rights.”
— Eric Kohn, IndieWire
“A pulse-pounding, twisty crime thriller that masterfully ratchets up tension with chillingly effective results.”
— Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter
Audience Award, World Cinema – Dramatic
Sundance Film Festival
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