Fear Me Not Movie Review
Fear Me Not Movie Review
Danish doldrums dissected.
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As a cover version of Neil Young's plaintive classic rock song "Helpless" plays over the final frames of Fear Me Not (Den du frygter), the tune's essence of pain, longing, exhaustion and strange spark of hope sum the film up absolutely perfectly. It's poignant, and affecting. A fitting finale to an unnerving, if uneven, film.
Fear Me Not is a Danish feature directed by Kristian Levring (whose work I hadn't previously seen, though I know he is a player in the Dogme 95 movement). It stars Ulrich Thomsen (you might know him from The Broken, The Substitute, or Hitman) as Mikael, a dissatisfied, restless family man and hamster-wheel worker who just wants to feel happy. Maybe not even happy… just satisfied will do. He can't quite put his finger on what's wrong with his seemingly idyllic life — he's got a wife who loves him; a smart, well-adjusted teenage daughter; a gorgeous waterfront home; good friends — so when he gets the opportunity to take part in a drug trial for a new antidepressant, Mikael seizes it.
Almost immediately after starting the pharmaceutical regimen, Mikael feels freed. Free to say, write, and do whatever he feels like. It's as though ties which bound him once are now loosened and cast aside. Unfortunately, the expression which once lay under wraps isn't pretty.
Levring, who scripted the film with Anders Thomas Jensen (also the co-writer of Lars Von Trier's upcoming Antichrist), unfolds Mikael's dread-heavy personal journey of self-discovery coldly and at arm's length. There's no whining on a therapist's couch. There's no regret. There's no aftermath. No resolution. The movie is unapologetically, bleakly and slowly Scandinavian; and to me, it's refreshing. That's not to say I didn't find its pacing tedious at times — as I do some Bergman, or Dreyer — I am American, after all! But if you're willing to get ensconced in Mikael's inner and outer cloudy grey vibe, you'll hopefully find it worth your while.
In the interest of disclosure, given the fact this review is here at horror.com, I should tell you that in spite of some hints that Mikael might go on a bloody, berserk, screaming killing spree as his grip on sanity crumbles… he doesn't. That is not to say that he doesn't do some chilling, cruel, horrible and reprehensible things… he does.
Fear Me Not is an engrossing dissertation on modern society's need for the easy fix (or is it so modern? The desire for magic potions, elixirs and powders is age-old, after all), and how strongly belief can affect the human psyche. It's about the relationships we have with others, and ourselves. How we hide behind sunglasses, iPods, and smiles. How we reveal ourselves in unintended ways through our actions, as well as our inaction. Compliance and rebelliousness. Can they coexist?
Aside from the deeper ramifications of this story, there's a lot to admire in the technical department as well. The casting and acting is absolutely top-notch, as is the score and music, and the cinematography, which artfully encompasses and nicely captures the claustrophobic close-ups, expansive, austere vistas, and everything in between, is admirable.
While Fear Me Not may not fulfill the U.S. audience's need for speed, those who are interested in a creepy, unsettling story should definitely tune in for its premiere on IFC's Festival Direct On Demand, June 10, 2009.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson