The Wisconsin Film Festival got a little taste of Scandinavia with the showing of “Fear Me Not” (Zentropa Entertainments, Denmark). As long as you don’t mind reading subtitles, the film provides a good, chilling labyrinth-like crawl into the inner workings of the human psyche. An atmosphere of cold and impersonality is set into the framework of the story, and radiates out to the entire theater. Though the action itself is sparing and just this side of lagging, the aura itself is enough to keep audiences on edge.
42-year-old Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) lives a normal, if quiet, life with his wife and daughter at the edge of a remote lake in a suburb of Copenhagen. However, his absolute boredom and frustration at his wife’s controlling tendencies drives him to try something drastic – he volunteers himself as a guinea pig in the testing of a new anti-depressant drug. Michael finds himself addicted to their liberating effects and continues to take them on the sly, even after the trial is called off and the drugs are recalled. Soon he finds himself acting in irrational, controlling ways that cause pain to his family and those around him. It is only after he has committed several disgraceful acts that his friend Frederik (Lars Brygmann), who was in charge of the trial, tells him that the pills were a placebo. Now, faced with the possibility that he is a psychopath, Michael involves himself in much self-reflection and more horrifying emotional outbreaks, all along with the audience wondering what exactly has snapped in his brain and whether he will ever return to normal.
As far as independently produced works go, this movie was top-notch. The booming sound and cool, dusky lighting were both box office quality and fit the horror genre like a glove. The character of Michael required Ulrich Thomsen to go from warm and charming to cold and controlling in a matter of seconds, a persona he matched stride for stride. Most of the suspense of the movie rode on the scenes between Michael and his wife, Sigrid (Paprika Steen), which they pulled off marvelously, leaving the audience with their heartstrings taut and the unsaid words pounding in their ears.
The only drawback to the film was the action, which was slow in coming at the beginning, with Michael’s subsequent lashing-out scenes few and far-between. The extended calm, probably meant to lull the audience into a false sense of complacency, sometimes crossed the line and lulled them to sleep. A few under-developed concepts as well, such as Michael’s plan to “gain control over his wife,” caused confusion in the audience. On a whole the audience is left somewhat unclear as to what happened within Michael, and what exactly he was trying to achieve. When the credits begin to roll, the air is wrought with unresolved issues and unanswered questions, definitely making this the type of film that requires re-watching.
These effects, though frustrating, are admittedly inherent to the psychological thriller genre. They are meant to generate suspense during the movie, and discussion afterwards. The audience finds themselves effectively engaged in the plot – an end which writers Anders Thomas Jensen and Kristian Levring surely intended. Combine this with a solid story concept, good acting, and overall impressive production, and the Wisconsin Film Festival has itself a foreign winner. Don’t let the name fool you – “Fear Me Not” is an unnerving ride. Be very afraid.
