Brief summary of the first 20 minutes: Thomas, a young man gets released from prison. He had something to do with the disappearance of a young boy. He finds a job as an organ player in the church of the town where he used to live.
Pic deals with universal themes such as guilt, love, expression through music, faith, responsibility, loss of loved ones and the value of family. Although the setting and some references are Scandinavian, this is a story that could have taken place anywhere in the world. I think it can touch sensitive people across many cultures.
It may not be the most original, hip movie that I saw in the last year. I have seen elements of the story before, and the pace is calm.
However, the structure and high quality performances keep things interesting until the finale. Much of the quality of the lead actors comes from body language and non-verbal performances. Also the casting of the smaller adult parts and child actors is simply top.
Some scenes in the movie caused a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I was moved. The general tone of the movie is serious and sensitive, but director Erik Poppe also manages to keep the mood light and hopeful.
I'm a sucker for good movie scores. The music is breathtakingly wonderful. I have never been an avid fan of the organ, but this movie has the power to make people fall in love with this instrument. Much of what Thomas is going through is expressed through the music. It also helps the audience to get involved into this perhaps not so sympathetic, mysterious character. Also the non-organ part of the score by Johan Söderqvist is touching and effective. I had at times brief associations with the music of Philip Glass (but only briefly) and Thomas Newman.
So it is to my big surprise, that the soundtrack of this movie - now one year after the theater release in Norway - is still not available on CD. I found Scandinavian bluray and DVD-releases, but no OST. I hope that somebody can fix this, because this is one of those soundtracks that I would simply would want to play again and again.
