Review of The Guilty (2018) by Amheretojudge — 09 Dec 2018

Miller's skilled mannerism on verbally melting you down on your very right spot through speculative display of antics is frankly just plain impressive.

Den Skyldige Miller's skilled mannerism on verbally melting you down on your very rightMiller's skilled mannerism on verbally melting you down on your very right spot through speculative display of antics is frankly just plain impressive.

Den Skyldige.

Miller's skilled mannerism on verbally melting you down on your very right spot through speculative display of antics is frankly just plain impressive. It is a concept that has been overridden aplenty in the past despite of its uniqueness, but somehow Moller has seems to have decoded it. At a brisk of ninety minutes of showdown, his stage is busy and compelling enough to bedazzle you with one face. In his defense, that face is expressive. Narrowed down into a brief period of husky content, the concept is gripping enough to boost the makers for a much longer time, arguably the entire film. With an infomercial ground as such, there is very little space for the writers to weave out a genuine emotion out of such a confined place that is crowded to its full.

Smartly, the writers has a backstory that they are not ready to reveal until the very last moment, they are waiting for the iron to be at its weakest stage in order to strike the hammer. And sharing that mutual thought or emotion, the only reason they took this much time is to create that arc, kudos to the writers to pull it off. Armed with such a brutal script, co-written by Moller himself alongside Albertsen, it is also a difficult subject to execute upon.

Since there is not much room for Moller to satisfy the itch of using the camera work to its creativity, he has few tricks up his sleeve. And he is not a guy that quits at round one, he uses the tense environment on the script to foliate it by making Cedergren fumble on actions and words. He also uses props and surrounding of the office like shutting down the drapes, switching to a highly functional and efficient computer or table to increase the stakes.

In order to depict the day to day issues that they go through with, he imputed various other cases as a phone call that sends a vital message out there. Another major aspect he uses for the audience to visualize the off screen action is by using sharp sound effects and clear cut audio on phone to makes thing easier. Aforementioned, Cedergren is the apt choice for such a role, his chiseled jawline should not be judged upfront, his vocabulary is generous, his words firm and his eyes speaks the guilt that the film has been endorsing about.

Despite of various emotions he goes through the one that gets to you, is where there is a silent pitch on screen and there is nothing but him breathing is what's left between you and him. The primary reason why Moller's world is adaptive and the tale absorbing, is how humble it is, each character is dipped on their sorrow and is yet ready to shred the last inch of their life for the betterment of others, and on that beautiful note, it is hauntingly poignant. Den Skyldige is more theatrical act than it is cinematic, all the cards are not won over by it, but then not all of it were dealt.