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| Image Courtesy Svensk Filmindustri |
When I moved to a Nordic country, I wanted to learn more about the region through film. But then I realized how much I had already been able to learn from films while still in the US.
I’d learned about Swedish film pioneer Ingmar Bergman making influential films since the 1950s; I’d learned about Danish raconteurs Nicholas Winding Refn and Lars von Trier and their artistic, violent, and sexually explicit films. I’d got glimpses of Nordic culture from films from Iceland, Finland, and Norway, too.
I saw specific ways this region’s films influenced American ones: using a different approach to blockbusters; using the driest, blackest of humor and noir; and embracing ambiguity and complexity in their characters. And then I realized how that influence often came in the form of English language remakes that just didn’t have the same edge or memorability. The most recent example is Speak No Evil (Denmark) and, reaching back a ways, Insomnia (Norway).
So, I put together a list of ten Nordic films that are some of my favorites for all the reasons mentioned above. I focused on more contemporary films (within the last 20 years) that have become classics, are lesser known, are easily accessible, and will stick with you. Full reviews (when available) are also linked to each film title.
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| Image Courtesy Lionsgate Entertainment via The Everett Collection |
SISU (Finland)
Many Nordic countries have some philosophical word that represents a part of that country’s culture. For the Danish, it’s hygge (feely cozy and comfy); for the Swedish, it’s lagom (not too much, not too little; just right). For the Finnish, it’s sisu, which can translate to all manner of determination, resilience, and tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds.
An entertainingly literal interpretation of this Finnish concept came out last year with the ultra-violent, darkly comedic SISU. Former soldier Aatami (Jorma Tommila) contends with a leftover contingent of Nazi soldiers who are roaming Finland with a tank after Hitler’s surrender. The soldiers, led by Bruno (Aksel Hennie), learn of Aatami’s hidden gold and attempt to capture him and gain of the treasure.
This film uses a standard, Die Hard-like plot, though it does so with some crowd-pleasing violence and trademark Nordic dark humor. The tone of the film might best be illustrated in one scene where antagonist Aatami takes out a Nazi by throwing a landmine at him.
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| Image Courtesy IFC Midnight |
Hatching (Finland)
Some of the best creature and practical effects in a recent Nordic movie can be found in this horror-satire and coming-of-age film. Young Tinja (Siiri Solalinna) is training for a gymnastics competition while trying to please her demanding, image-obsessed mother (Sophia Heikkilä). When the young girl discovers a strange egg and starts to swaddle and take care of it, the film becomes a sharp satire of influencer culture and the drive for perfection.
The brief and potent film explores similar themes found in The Substance while also focusing on Tinja’s budding adolescence. This cringe-inducing body horror showcases what Nordic horror is capable of.
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| Image Courtesy Palace Films |
Under the Tree (Iceland)
Summers in Nordic countries are beautiful and to be cherished because of the long winters. This is why an argument over a large tree in one neighbor’s yard blocking sunlight to another’s porch can be an issue. This is the conflict that makes Under The Tree an enjoyable black comedy and a good example of how brutally dry and funny Nordic humor can be.
After getting kicked out by his wife, Ali moves in with his parents, who are in an escalating conflict with their neighbors over that huge tree and the shade it creates. Small slights and rudeness create tension that envelops the neighbors, their pets, and the HOA. Underneath the conflict are each person’s own grief and angst, which are sensitively portrayed here. This seriousness helps to balance the humor and escalating violence.
This film has a spoiler-ish entry on doesthedogdie.com.
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| Image Courtesy Janus Contemporaries |
Godland (Iceland)
Plenty of films have explored Imperialism and missionary trips gone wrong, but this may the most beautiful of them all. Based on a fictional set of photographs that were discovered recently, Godland creates a narrative about Danish priest Lucas (Elliot Crosset Huve) sent to a remote part of Iceland in the 1800s. One of his burdens he literally carries on his back is a cumbersome photography setup.
This makes for some beautiful cinematography whenever Lucas attempts to capture the raw nature all around him. As the film progresses, Lucas’ mission dwindles along with his own mental health. Some of this is caused by his missionary zeal and some by not heeding Icelanders’ warnings to better respect nature. This quiet film becomes more of a man versus nature narrative (though there’s still plenty of interpersonal conflicts) that highlights the intense weather of this Nordic island.
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| Image Courtesy Magnolia Pictures |
Headhunters (Norway)
While the Swedes have plenty of noir literature from Stieg Larsson and Jens Lapidus, Norwegians have plenty of noir from Jo Nesbø. His Harry Hole novels have a huge following and an ill-fated film adaptation: The Snowman. Nesbø wrote a different novel that received a stellar film treatment in 2011: Headhunters.
Insecure HR manager Roger (Aksel Henni) lives lavishly beyond his means by stealing art in his spare time. When Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) interviews for Roger’s company, the thief learns of some rare art owned by Clas. And so begins a fierce and nasty game of cat and mouse between the two men. There’s noir-ish elements in the tight story, but this is a chase thriller punctuated by some punishing set pieces. The film is a solid example of a Nordic thriller that stands alone apart from some larger franchises.
This film has a spoiler-ish entry on doesthedogdie.com.
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| Image Courtesy Magnolia Pictures |
The Wave (Norway)
Norway has started a trend of high-quality disaster films that tweak this genre’s formula to elevate these films. Director Roar Uthaug began this trend with The Wave (or Bølgen in Norwegian), a disaster film about a killer wave created when half a mountain collapses into a narrow fjord. Instead of following a large cast of characters to show the large scope of a disaster like American versions of this genre, this follows just one family.
There’s plenty of CGI here, but the set pieces are so well done. And as the family tries to survive being trapped in a hotel hit by the wave, the viewer can care more about them instead of being forced to follow other characters. A sequel, The Quake, follows the same family as they try to survive a devastating earthquake in Oslo, and it continues the ‘fewer characters, better set-pieces’ kind of formula.
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| Image Courtesy Magnet Releasing |
Riders of Justice (Denmark)
It’s hard for any list of Nordic films to not include Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish actor famous for so many roles in international film and TV. Mikkelsen excels at complex characters, like his role in Riders of Justice as Markus, a deployed military man called back home when his wife dies in a train accident.
Director Anders Thomas Jensen creates such a wild blend of tragic grief and pitch-black humor here that’s representative of Nordic film blending the dramatic and humorous. When more is learned about the train crash, Markus and his unlikely friends form a middle-aged, clumsy posse set on revenge. Mikkelsen shines as the grieving husband and father who rotates between relatable grief and untamable fury.
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| Image Courtesy Magnolia Pictures |
The Hunt (Denmark)
Before he became Hannibal Lecter on TV, Mads Mikkelsen starred in a different kind of horror film about a false accusation in a small town. When a kindergarten student falsely accuses Mikkelsen’s character, Lucas, her teacher, of exposing himself to her, the repercussions create a real-life horror story in this film.
Director Thomas Vinterberg, one of the directors behind the Dogma 95 film movement, creates such a hard-to-watch film, though the one bright spot is watching Mikklesen display his range as an actor. All the dynamics of small-town life, mob mentality, and threats to children’s well-being are explored here, making this a film that will stick with you for a long time.
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| Image Courtesy The Weinstein Company |
Snabba Cash (Sweden)
Another famous Swedish noir writer is Jens Lapidus, the criminal defense lawyer and author behind the Snabba Cash franchise. His trilogy of novels all received film adaptations, with the original, Snabba Cash (released in the US as Easy Money), being the best. This 2011 film launched the international careers of both Joel Kinnamen and director Daniel Espinosa.
This noir-ish crime story centers around three character’s attempts to not only survive but also make some quick cash. The naturalistic style of film has echoes of Michael Mann’s crime sagas, though this film focuses more on immigrants’ stories of surviving in Stockholm.
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| Image Courtesy Magnolia Pictures |
Let The Right One In (Sweden)
Before he won numerous awards for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, director Tomas Alfredson garnered many awards for his film adaptation of Let the Right One In. The novel’s author, John Ajvide Lindqvist, also wrote the screenplay about a bullied young boy, Oskar, who befriends Eli, who appears to be a mysterious young girl.
The film uses 1980s Stockholm to explore the relationship between Eli (Lina Leandersson) and Oskar (Kåre Hederbrant) as he deals with bullies, a distant dad, and coming of age. Eli moves in next door to Oskar with an older man, Håkan (Per Ragnar), who acts as her protector. Phenomenal cinematography and art direction combine with intense vampire-related scenes and a script that embraces the ambiguity of its source material. This becomes a vampire horror film not centered on the vampire aspects of the story.