As crime scene cleanup professionals, anxious Elvis (Nervold) and laconic Leo (Skard) specialize in odd discoveries in abandoned houses. Even by their standards, a cellar containing a naked woman (Reinåmo), old electronics, and a heavily locked fridge are an oddity – unless you know the legend of the Huldra. Writer/director Aleksander L. Nordaas joins the new wave of Scandinavian filmmakers tapping into the region’s icy mythology. But unlike Rare Exports’ Santa or Trollhunter‘s bridge-dwelling stars, these tailed denizens of the Norwegian forests may be a mystery to everyone except the most learned cultural anthropologists. While the story steers superficially close to the supernihilist Dead Girl, its Scandinavian conviction – that the otherworldly is as magical as it is terrifying – gives it unexpected heart. There is a wild joy beneath its eeriness and malice, like a hint of sunlight through frost-covered trees.

Thale

Emerging Visions
D: Aleksander L. Nordaas; with Silje Reinåmo, Jon Sigve Skard, Erlend Nervold

Saturday, March 17, 11:45pm, Alamo Lamar

This article appears in March 16 • 2012.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.