Troubled Water (2008)

A man convicted in his teens for killing a child is released on parole. He struggles to build a new life, but his past is uncovered.

Director:

Erik Poppe

Writer:

Harald Rosenløw-Eeg (as Harald Rosenløw Eeg)

Stars:

Pål Sverre Hagen, Trine Dyrholm, Ellen Dorrit Petersen

6 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pål Sverre Hagen	...	Jan Thomas (as Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen)
Trine Dyrholm	...	Agnes
Ellen Dorrit Petersen	...	Anna
Fredrik Grøndahl	...	Jens
Trond Espen Seim	...	Jon M
Angelou Garcia	...	Malin
Henriette Garcia	...	Selma
Terje Strømdahl	...	Menighetforvalter
Anneke von der Lippe	...	Sissel
Frank Kjosås	...	Tommy
Jon Vågenes Eriksen	...	Isak
Stig Henrik Hoff	...	Fengselsprest
Bjarne Henriksen	...	Dansk Sjef
Bodil Jørgensen	...	Dansk Kone
Tone Danielsen	...	Liss

Storyline

A man convicted in his teens for killing a child is released on parole. He finds work as a church organist and develops a rewarding relationship with a priest and her young son. However, his caring for the boy catches the attention of his old victim's mother, bringing to the surface her bad memories and unanswered questions. This draws them both into troubled waters, having to learn when to hold on and when to let go.

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Plot Keywords:

dead boy | loss of son | organ | bloody body of a child | boy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Trine Dyrholm (Agnes) & Trond Espen Seim (Jon M) also worked together on The Legacy (2014) as Gro Grønnegaard & Robert Eliassen respectively.

User Reviews

Puts the "troubled" back in teen.

When "troubled teens" are embroiled in gangs (ONCE UPON A TIME IN America) or drugs (TRAINSPOTTING, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM), it is a life decision, a commitment to those lifestyles that drives their drama.

In the Norwegian film, TROUBLED WATER, a teen commits one thoughtless act that has life-shaking consequences long after he tries to atone for it. He was not driven to it by desire for money, addiction, or broken family, just one lapse in judgment.

Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen won a Norwegian film award for this breakout role as Jan Thomas, who, as a teen, kidnaps a 5-year-old boy. We catch up with Jan in his early 20s, as he completes his sentence in a juvenile jail. We learn he is a principled, sensible guy and a talented organist. He still has flashbacks of that fateful day (that reveal ever more harrowing details) but he wants to put it behind him as he starts a job as a church organist.

Jan seems to find his feet, the church job including an apartment, a bike, welcoming staff (like Terje Strømdahl, who asserts "if he can't get a second chance here, then where?") - and a female priest hot enough to be in ABBA (Ellen Dorrie Petersen as Anna, in her second film role). And Jan gets to rock out with his stops out.

Until the mother of the kidnapped boy recognizes him.

Agnes (veteran Norwegian actress Trine Dyrholm), still mourning her son, mother to two other daughters and a husband who looks like Bjorn Borg (Trond Espen Seim) realizes who Jan is as he performs a stirring version of Simon And Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Erik Poppe (Scandanavian Director of the Year 1994) constructs this tale (written by Harald Rosenløw-Eeg) out of chronological order. As details of Jan's crime are revealed, so too is Agnes's life of subsuming pain for the sake of her family, now opening scabs that will seemingly never heal.

Our allegiances keep flipping from Jan to Agnes and we end up wondering if there is any right resolution to this horrible escalating drama. We are shown every nuanced side of human reaction, from both sides: anger, denial, emptiness, vengeance, warmth, fear, loss of innocence.

As Jan's life coalesces into couplehood with the hot priest and her own 5-year-old, Jens (Fredrik Grøndahl), Agnes is resolute in destroying that relationship completely, to make him feel the loss that he made her feel.

Outside the American system, TROUBLED WATER doesn't need to conform to any arc of redemption. The sun almost shines for Jan, then the waters get dark and cloudy. Wade in...

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Norway]

Country:

Norway Sweden Germany

Language:

Norwegian Danish

Release Date:

26 September 2008 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Aguas turbulentas

Box Office

Budget:

NOK21,277,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,232,102

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paradox Spillefilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1