The Invisible (2002)

After an attack leaves him in limbo, invisible to the living and also near death, a teenager discovers the only person who might be able to help him is his attacker.

Directors:

Joel Bergvall, Simon Sandquist

Writers:

Mick Davis, Mats Wahl (novel)

Stars:

Gustaf Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny, Li Brådhe

10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Nicklas
Tuva Novotny	...	Annelie
Li Brådhe	...	Kerstin
Thomas Hedengran	...	Thomas Larsson
David Hagman	...	Peter
Pär Luttropp	...	Marcus (as Pär Luttrop)
Francisco Sobrado	...	Attis
Joel Kinnaman	...	Kalle
Jenny Ulving	...	Sussie
Anna Hallström	...	Marie
Catherine Hansson	...	Jeanette Tullgren
Per Burell	...	Per Tullgren (as Pär Burell)
Gabriel Eriksson	...	Victor Tullgren
Norman Zulu	...	Peters pappa
Eivin Dahlgren	...	Rektor

Storyline

Nicklas lives a pretty normal teenage life, until one day, not far from graduation, when a gangster from his school beats him up. Nicklas passes out, and the next day when he returns to school he notices that nobody seems to notice him. As he tries to get attention he notices that his actions disappear the moment he has done them. He throws a book and as soon as it lands it's back where he picked it up. He has returned as a ghost, but he can do nothing but passively observe as the police stand clueless to the murder.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | female gangster | psychotronic film | eastern europe | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Connections

References Ghost (1990)

User Reviews

Formidably gripping drama-thriller on the verge of death

Swedish film generally remains in stating the obvious and sticking to the conventions of the time, but then there are those rare exceptions, reaching an unforeseen level. 'Invisible' is one of those few. A splendid achievement by the team Bergvall and Sandquist in their first full-length movie.

A couple of years ago they got an Academy Awards nomination in the short film category, for 'Victor', also on the grave theme of death. 'Invisible' is based on a novel by the Swedish writer Mats Wahl, a mighty storyteller.

This story is indeed mighty. A high school senior, bound by his mother's high expectations, is beaten up brutally, due to a misunderstanding, by a delinquent girl of his age, and left for dead. When he comes to school the next day, he finds that everybody ignores him, as if he had become invisible. Soon, he realizes that he really is.

This slight ingredient of the paranormal, makes the story rise to a mythical magnitude, and the film makers, as well as the actors, manage to keep it there, to explore the grand perspectives suddenly appearing. Still, the very concrete psychological drama continues, and intensifies.

It all amounts to one formidably gripping experience, not easily forgotten. There are, of course, clear links to 'Sixth Sense' and a number of other movies about the mysterious borderland between life and death, and the necessity for our lives to reach some kind of conclusion, some kind of harmony, before passing on.

If searching for them, one can find some small weaknesses - like the unnecessary presence of a gun, or the inability of the dialogue to deal with those profound existential questions - but that's easily forgotten in the very touching and beautiful whole of the film, and more so after its uncompromising and magnificent ending.

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

8 February 2002 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

O Invisível

Filming Locations:

Nossebro, Västra Götalands län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film i Väst, Nordisk Film Production, SF Bio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1