Cellofan (1998)

Cellofan (1998)
aka: Cellophane, Cellofan - med døden til følge
Director: Eva Isaksen
Cast: Andrine Sæther, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Svein Erik Brodal, Trond Brænne
A dying old man tells his daughter, a young and aggressive journalist, to find a box in his house. He makes her promise not to open it, and immediately burn it. However, she cannot resist her curiosity and finds documents, letters and clippings inside the box that reveal that her father was the suspect in a murder case 25 years ago. She decides to find out the truth.

While sat in an hospital room at the bedside of her dying father, Marianne a journalist is asked by him for one last favor. He asks her to destroy boxes he has back at his apartment but not to open them. Marianne thanks to a little coaxing from a newly made friend opens one of the boxes and reads one of the letters it contains, she learns that her father whom was a priest had been accused of murder 25 years earlier in a small rural village of Skogmark. So its left to Marianne to either try put the letters out of mind and forget what shes seen or travel to village and try to uncover the truth and if her father was involved in a pregnant woman's death.

This co Norwegian/Swedish production from late nineties feels like it could have been made ten years earlier. During the early stages it reminded me somewhat of recent film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo but its interesting premise is all but wasted due to its painfully pedestrian pace and almost total lack of action, which is a shame as the rural feel and general odd tone (including an hotel room peeping tom and local butcher who seems to enjoy his work a little too much) could have made this mystery into something so much more rewarding. Oh and for anyone whose wondering why its named Cellofan, its taken from a scene the dying priest is smothered and almost killed by the cellophane wrapping from a bunch of flowers.

Cultdb Totals
[Rated 5½ out of 10]
[Deathcount 4]
[Gorequota 1/10]

Themes Included: Journalist ● Priest ● Rural Church
Car Crash ● Cow Road Block ● Stutterer ● Picture Moving Eyes