Movie Review - Thelma

Thelma **½ (out of 5) (NR) This subtitled Scandinavian drama has considerable merit, but may not suit many American palates. Compared to our norms, this tale unfolds slowly and ephemerally, leaving viewers in doubt as to what kind of story they’re getting. A brief opening sequence seems weirdly disconnected for much of the two hours.

The focus is on the title character, a girl (Eili Harboe) raised by strict, controlling Christian parents as she goes off to college. She’s shy and feels out of place. Her peers don’t notice her until she has an apparent epileptic seizure. That begins a friendship with Anja (Kaya Wilkins), and an introduction to the social side of the campus experience. Everything is new, scary and mostly verboten, given Thelma’s isolated, Puritanical upbringing. The stresses of exploration bring on more fits, leading to some surprising turns of events that you’re better off not knowing in advance.

Writer/director Joachim Trier, who has racked up a slew of awards and nominations around the globe, but relatively few in the US, crafted a slyly complex script, crossing several genre lines - coming-of-age, gender lines, conflicted religious beliefs, medical and scientific elements in Thelma’s persona, and perhaps others. That keeps viewers off-balance, boosting the suspense factor. The eery tone of the story is enhanced by a drab color scheme and the periodic deployment of rather grating background sounds and music in the background that seem mismatched with thoser moments. There are reasons, as you’ll eventually learn, if you’re patient enough.

The principals deliver fine performances, with Harboe particularly showing herself as one brimming with potential. Thelma seems ripe for a domestic reboot, with more pizzazz and a faster pace, since all the elements exist for a bankable version offering more sizzle with less time for rumination. (12/1/17)