Deliver Us from Evil

Ole Bornedal really won me over with this film. The last time I experienced a similar feeling was during a screening of a similarly raw film from Estonia – The Class. This time it is not about bullying, but about moral values and their limits, about religion and truth, regardless of what it is. I really liked the visuals, they give the film an even greater touch of rawness and depression. I was really surprised by the participation of Lene Nystrom, who played her role very solidly. What is the line between (relatively) normal human thinking and mindless madness that brings no good? In short, for me, a quality piece of filmmaking that caught my attention mainly because of the imagery and the theme (great twist!). (10.09.2012)

Deliver Us from Evil is a psychological study of the collision of two social classes and two cultural worlds, inevitably leading to a collective human tragedy. It is a politically conscious drama, a tense thriller, and an intelligent comic satire rendered with fresh and imaginative filmmaking, as only the most talented and most open-minded European filmmakers are capable of. The film offers the masterful combination of a thoughtful storyline with elaborate visuals that add as much to the portrayal of the characters and their environment as the dialogue and actors do. Check out the gallery for the picture of a woman with her husband (or the other picture with her children) standing in front of the door in fear. It’s all here, including Hitchcock. A delicious affair! (20.01.2012)

I don’t want to repeat what Rob Roy and Pishin have already said, but it’s impossible to speak about this film without referring to Straw Dogs and the beautiful cinematography. Straw Dogs is grittier, while this one plays more with the visuals, but the results are similar. Better stay away from villages. An hour and a half of undiluted redneckery, drunkenness and prejudice – power in the hands of “ordinary people”. Some parts of the story made me feel unwell. Besides the cinematography, I’d like to highlight the sound design. There’s a tense moments when the people on the screen are screaming their lungs out, but all you hear is the rustling of the woods instead of the screams themselves, and it’s very effective, perfect for that particular scene. I believe the director has good taste and a feeling for restraint. The local exploitation fans perhaps will complain about the moderation of the last action scene, but more would have been only for the worse, and I think Bornedal is aware of it. Brilliant and a great surprise from Denmark. 9/10 (12.04.2010)

Traditionally good Nordic film, but what bothers me the most is its visual side. It no longer looks as natural as similar films that tell the cruel stories of each character that appears in the film. However, it still maintains an incredibly good camera and a fantastic atmosphere that can squeeze out emotions even on a deserted road that is straighter than a line drawn by a ruler. (07.05.2012)

It's only been a few days since I wrote about Just Another Love Story, the previous work by Ole Bornedal, that it shouldn't have an ending and I would be satisfied. The second encounter with his work brought me the same experience. For three-quarters of the runtime, I was floating in the clouds of a highly outstanding spectacle, enjoying the excellent camera work, sensing the rising tension and alarming signals of an approaching crisis, appreciating the scenes of emotional impact like a thunder strike - and then everything went down the drain within a few minutes because the director pushed too hard and didn't understand the psychology of the crowd or the individual. As a result, the typical film construct is exposed. Undoubtedly, it is superbly shot, but at the same time, unreliable. From such material, much more could have been extracted if Bornedal had tamed his imagination, not chased too many rabbits at once, and fixed the logical gaps. The film notably resembles Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, and I wouldn't directly speak of plagiarism, but certainly of strong inspiration. However, that film seems more believable to me and more impactful in its consequences. Additionally, it lacks the strangely reconciliatory ending. Nonetheless, I have no problem with giving this film three strong stars. Overall impression: 65%. (20.03.2015)