Insomnia (1997)

In a Norwegian city with a 24-hour daylight cycle a Swedish murder investigator has been brought in on a special case. Sleep deprived, he makes a horrible mistake which is discovered by the killer he has been hunting.

Director:

Erik Skjoldbjærg

Writers:

Nikolaj Frobenius (screenplay), Erik Skjoldbjærg (screenplay)

Stars:

Maria Mathiesen, Stellan Skarsgård, Sverre Anker Ousdal

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Maria Mathiesen	...	Tanja Lorentzen
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Jonas Engström
Sverre Anker Ousdal	...	Erik Vik
Gisken Armand	...	Hilde Hagen
Kristian Figenschow	...	Arne Zakariassen (as Kristian Fr. Figenschow)
Thor Michael Aamodt	...	Tom Engen
Frode Rasmussen	...	Chief of Police
Bjørn Moan	...	Eilert
Maria Bonnevie	...	Ane
Marianne O. Ulrichsen	...	Frøya
Bjørn Floberg	...	Jon Holt

Storyline

In a Norwegian city with a 24-hour daylight cycle, a Swedish murder investigator is brought in to find an elusive killer. But when the officer accidentally kills his own partner and covers it up, a double sided game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | police | fog | norway | death | 

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Taglines:

Den som synder, sover ikke.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Insomnia homepage

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian Swedish

Release Date:

29 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fonos stin omihli

Filming Locations:

Nyksund, Norway

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$20,366 (USA) (29 May 1998)

Gross:

$221,173 (USA) (11 December 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norsk Film, Nordic Screen Production AS, Norsk Filminstitutt

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Jonas is hit by the car during the bus chase scene, in the close-up shots of the windshield he clearly cracks it but in the wide shots it is unmarked.

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Connections

Remade as Insomnia (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Hos Tanja"
Music by Alanïa
Rune Lindbæk/Ole Mjøs/Thorbjørn Brundtland

User Reviews

brilliant and moody

Brilliant, moody, a bit creepy. A noirish thriller. Stellan Skarsgard gives a wonderfully subtle performance in the lead role of a Swedish police detective suffering from sleep deprivation while on assignment in Norway. Stylistically the director and cinematographer effectively recreate the alienated and somewhat hallucinatory feeling of being sleep deprived and in a foreign country. There's more to the story of course, but to reveal those details would spoil the surprises. Be warned, if you like your movie heroes uncomplicated then stay away from "Insomnia".