Believe it or not, I was not prepared for today's post at all.
Seriously, me? Not prepared? It's practically unheard of! (Sarcasm alert!)
So, since I just watched this movie, and really liked it, here is a review of it!
Although anticipated, no one is really ready when the mountain pass above the scenic, narrow Norwegian fjord Geiranger collapses and creates an 85-meter high violent tsunami. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it.
I don't know where you can actually find this movie. I bought it on Prime Video.
My Review
Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This film is called Bølgen, which is Norwegian for 'The Wave'. The entire film is in Norwegian. I do not speak Norwegian. Fortunately, there is a wonderful thing called subtitles, and since I watch every single movie with subtitles on anyway, I got along just fine. Also, I learnt a little bit of Swedish a while ago (how to say hello, yes, no, cheers, and strawberry), and both Swedish and Norwegian are fairly similar. Not that this really helped, but I understood one or two words here and there!
The format for many disaster films are very similar. An expert warns that an event will occur, and no one will properly listen to them. This happens to Kristian Eikjord, a geologist, who is in the process of moving out of the village Geiranger. It is his last day of work when the machines start to show some unusual readings, and with the thought of past disasters, past avalanches and rockfalls leading to massive and deadly tsunamis in the back of his mind, Kristian cannot simply walk away. Instead of boarding the ferry that would take him to his new life, Kristian turns around, and heads back to Geiranger.
Along with his wife, Idun, and two children, Sondre and Julia, Kristian stays in Geiranger for another night, a night where everything will change, and throw their lives into turmoil. As more sensors start to detect things going wrong, it becomes clear that Kristian's earlier warning would have given them much more time to prepare. As it is, everyone must get at least 80 metres above sea level. It is clear to everyone, now, that a tsunami is coming, and those who don't get high enough will not make it.
This film is the kind that has you rooting for the main characters, and you almost feel the fear alongside them. Kristian and Idun are separated when the alarms start, with Kristian at their empty house with his daughter, Julia, and Idun at work in a hotel, with Sondre staying in one of the rooms. Both parents work to save their children, first and foremost, but as they hurry to get to safety, they help those they can as well. Kristian shouts orders to people, as they run up the mountains, getting them moving, and Idun wakes sleeping hotel guests up to get them onto a bus.
But, danger befalls all of them, and with Julia the only one whose safety is practically confirmed, the family must all fight to stay alive as the mountain attacks, to wash away all that it can.
Kristian is a character who is easy to fall in love with. With everything he does, he always tries to do what is right, even though he sometimes overlooks one thing to focus on another. He is not the kind of person who would leave someone behind, and can't simply stand by while people are in danger, least of all when he knows his family needs him. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes, as Kristian stands alone shouting 'Hallo?' into the void and receiving no answer.
This film truly shows the love of a parent, with just how much both Kristian and Idun are willing to sacrifice to save Julia and Sondre. If needs be, they would lay down their own lives to make sure Julia and Sondre are unharmed. The emotion, the fear that Idun and Kristian have over their children's safety, and their desperation to keep those they love alive and safe, comes across perfectly on the screen, keeping in mind that I was also watching the movie in a language I do not speak. Humans have compassion, and it does not matter whether or not I understood the words they were speaking (I did have subtitles, though), as it was perfectly clear by their expressions and the tone of their voice just how they felt, which just goes to show how incredible the acting in this film is.
Another aspect I truly appreciated was that while Julia escapes most of the trauma, Sondre receives more than his fair share and it affects him. Too often in movies and books, a character will go through something traumatic and will walk away absolutely fine. After everything he goes through, it is crystal clear that Sondre will never, ever, go near water again, and the fact that this came across so clearly means that a great deal of thought, as well as time, effort, and immense talent from all involved (apparently all the actors did their own stunts?!), went into the making of this movie.
This movie explores the dangers of the area depicted in great detail. Norway has experienced multiple rockslides that led to tsumanis in the past, and many have lost their lives to the events. At the end of the movie, there is some text stating that while it is inevitable there will eventually be another rockfall tsunami event, when it will happen is unpredictable, as is the amount of warning people will get. In this film, they barely get ten minutes. Knowing that this is not fictitious, that it is a real threat, and that people have gone though, and will go through, the pure horror of running for their lives, knowing that it is up to them alone to get to safety, that no one will be there in time to help, is chilling.
And done!
I really loved this movie, although there were one thing in particular that confused me (although it might be my lack of understanding of how things work!) At one point (keeping it spoiler free!) some people are trapped chest high in water, in a basement, and they turn the generator on. Does this not create a risk of electrocution? Or do I know nothing of electrics?!
Anyway, I was thoroughly impressed with this movie, and if I wasn't afraid of drowning before, I certainly am now! Really, though, I recommend you check it out, if you can find it somewhere to watch. If you speak Norwegian as well, bonus! (Also, if you speak Norwegian, will you teach me??? Pretty please?!)
I have used a lot of brackets in this post.
I need to stop.
Bye!
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