Insomnia. 1997. Directed by Erik Skoldbjaerg.

(6/10/01)

Insomnia has an interesting situation. A detective from Sweden comes to Norway to investigate a murder. He and his colleagues set a trap for the murderer. While chasing the killer the detective, disoriented by fog, accidentally kills one of the other officers. He attempts to cover it up, but the killer knows what has happened and uses it to blackmail him.

The film is an engaging thriller--but several weeks later I find that I hardly remember anything about it. It is an interesting depiction of a professional who is compromised and who abuses his position to save himself. And it also shows his guilt and his loneliness--having this terrible thing on his conscience and not being able to share it with anyone.

I didn't like the way the film blends the objective with the subjective. A lot of it is Detective Engstrom's dreams and fantasies or hallucinations. It just seemed blurry and annoying. I couldn't see where it served any purpose.

I didn't like the ending. Another detective, a woman with whom Engstrom has been working, hints to him that she has figured out what is going on. She doesn't say what she intends to do, but we see Engstrom leaving so I suppose it is implied that she is going to keep her mouth shut. As we see him leave--on a plane or in a car--black shadows form around his eyes. I just thought that was cheap and hokey.

There was one scene that I did like and remember. Engstrom takes a friend of the murdered girl to the spot where the body was found. The friend, who feels that she could have prevented the tragedy, comes apart. It is a sad, touching scene.