Movies
We Are the Night (V)
“We Are The Night is as conventional as possible, with Gansel and Jan Berger’s screenplay eschewing ingenuity for premises and scenes that were more easily stolen from other films. The concoction they managed to throw together – which was reportedly rewritten because it resembled Twilight a little too much – is bland and forgettable, proving that just because the ideas seen at play in vampire films are becoming as immortal as the creatures themselves, it doesn’t mean they should be.”
The vampire is easily the most classic of all genre film creatures, with its presence in film and pop culture never in the position of being described as non-existent. Yet, if there ever was a time aside from the Universal Monster and Hammer eras where we would consider the subject to be over-saturating the market, it would be now. Whether one personally contributes this to an actual glut of vampire films or the headline making franchise that leaves a bad taste in most horror fans’ mouths, the real problem with the equally ferocious and romanticized undead is that previously explored territory is being mined to death in lieu of real innovation. Unfortunately, this is the same issue that plagues Dennis Gansel’s We Are The Night, a German import that’s more run-of-the-mill than downright terrible.
Night borrows entire sequences and ideas from older – and better – vampire cinema, and never manages to fill in the gaps with something truly compelling. Using The Lost Boys as a template and substituting glam rock for gaudy glamour, the film begins as petty thief Lena (Karoline Herfurth) narrowly escapes being arrested by Tom (Max Riemelt), who finds her somewhat charming despite her criminal tendencies. Heading to a rave later that evening to pick more pockets, she meets Louise (Nina Hoss), a centuries old vampire who believes she has been searching for the androgynous Lena her entire undead life and turns her on a whim. When her “growing pains” begin to make their presence known, Lena returns to the club and is indoctrinated into the group, which also consists of silent film star Charlotte (Jennifer Ulrich) and the spastic Nora (Anna Fischer).
The women live the most lavish lifestyle they can, filled with drugs, booze, fast cars and the latest fashions. But, the high life alone does not fulfill the soulless and the group feeds on the innocent, much to Lena’s dismay. It’s only a matter of time, though, before the trail of destruction and bodies they leave behind night after night leads the newly-indoctrinated vamp’s beau to their doorstep.
The inclusion of Charlotte and Nora seems somewhat pointless, as their back story and presence never really amounts to much save for the smallest amounts of comic relief. The dual love stories never bring the plot to a screeching halt, but the initial attraction between Lena and Tom is somewhat confusing. She evades, quickly changes clothes, fools him at first, kicks him square in the nuts and rashly jumps onto a passing boat to escape. Nothing about that would normally make a guy interested in a woman. The relationship between the vampires, on the other hand, strikes the same chords that Lemora and Daughters Of Darkness did decades ago, but is still the more fleshed out and believable of the two.
The most interesting idea presented in the film is the absence of male vampires, but it’s dismissed almost as quickly as it’s brought up. As it stands, the minuet detail is thrown in just so the film can continue to thrive as a lesbian vampire flick (an unsexy one at that), as if we don’t have enough of those. Because of this angle, the action set pieces are kept to a minimum while the bonding and teaching moments are brought to the forefront. But when they are there, they’re well done, even if the best of the bunch rips off Near Dark.
We Are The Night is as conventional as possible, with Gansel and Jan Berger’s screenplay eschewing ingenuity for premises and scenes that were more easily stolen from other films. The concoction they managed to throw together – which was reportedly rewritten because it resembled Twilight a little too much – is bland and forgettable, proving that just because the ideas seen at play in vampire films are becoming as immortal as the creatures themselves, it doesn’t mean they should be.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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