NordicFilm
In director Erik Poppe's film 'DeUsynlige' or Troubled Water when translated into English, follows a young man named Jan Hansen-played by Pål Hagen- who has been just released from a prison sentence because of his role in the death of a young boy when we was a teenager. A broken man, in spirit and body-he has broken fingers on his right hand-in his attempts to re-assimilate into life; he becomes an organist at a local church and befriends a female priest and her young son. While he is starting to get back on his feet, he cannot escape his past crimes as Agnes-the mother of the boy he killed played by Trine Dyrholm-and he himself cannot move on with life. The movie then follows these characters as they still struggle to come to terms with the terrible event that was the young boys death all those years ago. Jan Hansen attempts to bury his past actions, while Agnes's life falls apart as she still believes Jan is dangerous. When Jan becomes a fatherly figure to Jens, the female priest's son, emotions begin to spin out of control. Poppe was long a cinematographer before gaining fame for directing with Hawaii, Oslo in 2004. Troubled Water follows the same line with Poppe's past cinematic style and a plot focused around multiple characters and the drama of human interaction. All of Poppe's movies experiment with color and lighting, showing his past as a cinematographer. However, it is immediately noticeable that there are large departures in the cinematographic style in Troubled Water compared to Hawaii, Oslo; Poppe's previous movies are brightly colored while Troubled Water is tinted grey. While this does sound like a critique-a movement toward an uninspired visual style-the drab coloring is very evocative of the tone and plot of the movie; enhancing emotional punch of the movie. An emotional punch is a very succinct description of the way one feels when viewing Troubled Water. There are often events that are out of our control, or a mistake that can rule the rest of our lives; the question becomes how do we move on with life and advance forward though our past, especially if the event is life defining. This is the central question that Poppe explores in Troubled Water. To quote the Priest-also one of the central messages from the film-"Life goes in different ways". Jan Hansen can never undo his crime, and Agnes will never fully deal with her sons' death; the only solution for these individuals is a form of catharsis. The facing of ones issues head on.One of the most thought provoking elements in Poppe's film is the role of religion. While this theme may be lost of foreign audiences, but the Nordic countries-the main audiences for this film- are deeply secular and unreligious. The movie makes one of the main set pieces a church, and throughout the movie there is a large amount of portrayal of communion and religious services--religion playing a large role is a bold move and a highly deliberate choice. The church is what offers Jan to find his footing-it gives him a much-needed family, a job, and purpose to his life. Troubled Water becomes used as an exploration of what is the role of religion in the deeply unreligious Nordic countries. In an angry explosion by Agnes to the priest about his hiring of a murderer, he calmly replies, "if he doesn't have a second chance here, then where will he?"Poppe continues his excellent reputation he has built on Hawaii, Oslo with Troubled Water. Another excellently crafted human drama that will leave the viewer thinking long after they have finished watching. The dismal color scheme, the story unfolding in small parcels as we learn the truth about past events, the excellent acting performances all come together to make a truly great film. An exploration of how one deals with the tragedies of life and the role of religion even in a deeply secular society, it would do one well to use this movie as a lens and a lesson to view their own life. While the plot and themes may be extreme comparatively, the facing of our own problems is universal.
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Employing clever symbolism and powerful camera work, "Troubled Water" brilliantly captures the complexity of atonement and forgiveness. In this final installment of his masterpiece trilogy, director Erik Poppe explores the aftermath of an unthinkable event: the kidnapping and murder of a child. Having been convicted of these crimes as a teenager, Jan Thomas (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) serves his time in prison and is released back into the world, still a young man. The first part of the film follows Jan's reentry into society – he becomes a church organist and begins a romantic relationship with the priest, Anna (Ellen Dorrit Peterson) – as well as his struggle to be forgiven – by individuals, by God, and by himself. The film then shifts points of view and focuses on Agnes (Trine Dyrholm), the mother of the little boy, as she attempts to both explain and accept the death of her son and somehow forgive his murderer. Like Poppe's previous creation, "Hawaii, Oslo," "Troubled Water" moves quickly between space, time, and perspective and has a distinctive undertone of the religious, the spiritual, and the unknown. The result is a powerful piece of art that leaves the viewer at first confused and in the end disturbingly enlightened. As its English title suggests, water is a strong symbol in this film. It is used to represent death and loss as well as redemption and rebirth. Water is present from almost the first scene, in which the little boy, Isaac, is carried off by the river's current. At this point we believe that he is already dead when he enters the water, having fallen on the rocks and hit his head. We later discover, however, that he was still alive and that Jan released him anyway, allowing him to drown. In this case, it is the water that actually kills Isaac. Years after his death, his mother still imagines Isaac floating through the murky river. Swimming in the pool, she opens her eyes under water and watches in horror as her son's body slowly disappears out of sight. For Agnes, water is the sight of both the literal and figurative loss of her son. Yet water is also a positive force, providing cleansing and redemption. After working in the church and experiencing Anna's intense faith, Jan decides to become baptized. This event symbolizes not only his rebirth and forgiveness in the eyes of God and but also his desire to become a new, better person. This ritual use of water represents Jan's transition from convicted murderer to productive member of society. Importantly, water also acts as a concrete transition in the film. Just as "Hawaii, Oslo" featured colorful, psychedelic illustrations between scenes, "Troubled Water" uses water imagery to signal significant shifts in perspective or setting. Without a doubt, the main theme of this film is forgiveness. The two narratives – that of Jan and that of Agnes – parallel the two notions of forgiveness: being forgiven and forgiving. The crime that Jan committed was terrible – unforgivable, some would say. It is for this reason that Jan has such a hard time seeking and attaining forgiveness. It is clear that he feels guilty for what he has done; the self-deprecating sadness in his eyes is unmistakable. Yet atoning for his sins does not come easily. He does not seek out Isaac's family in order to apologize and when Agnes's husband, Jon (Trond Espen Seim), demands that he confess to murdering their son, Jan refuses to do so. It is not until the end of the film that he truly admits his guilt, revealing to Agnes the horrific details of that fateful day at the river. Even then, he does not directly request forgiveness. Perhaps he knows that this would be too much to ask of her. He may attempt to gain the forgiveness of God by being baptized, of society by holding a productive job, and of himself by helping to raise another little boy (Anna's son), but he simply cannot attempt to gain the forgiveness of a mother whose little boy he killed. Ironically, Agnes chooses to forgive Jan despite his lack of solicitation. Though she spends much of the film angrily trying to achieve revenge, in the end she manages to show a remarkable amount of acceptance and compassion. She forgives the situation, telling her husband, "I'll let go of him. I promise." And she forgives Jan himself, touching his face with incredible tenderness. Her ability to forgive is nothing short of magnificent. Adding complexity to the issue of forgiveness, the supposedly pious Anna who believes in God's will and advises Jan to "accept things as are" is unable to forgive his past. The camera work in "Troubled Water" emphasizes the effect of tragedy on each character, bringing to life the duality of forgiveness. One of the most striking angles is that of the extreme close-up in which the face becomes blurred. This technique follows the split narrative; at first Jan is the focus, and then Agnes. In both cases the camera is so close that the features of the characters' faces are lost. This hazy obscurity reflects the characters' fixation with the crime and the past. It has taken over their thoughts and their lives to the extent that they are no longer themselves, or perhaps no longer human. Despite their opposing positions, the event has touched them both irrevocably. Similarly, there are many shots in which the sole focus is Jan or Agnes's facial expressions or eyes. These scenes allow us insight into the deepest emotions of the characters. The intense sadness, anger, and pain apparent in each character force us to sympathize with both sides of the story. We understand Jan's struggle for forgiveness just as much as Agnes's struggle to forgive. In this way, the viewer leaves the film questioning the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, criminal and victim. Just like troubled river water, very little in life is clear.
