The Guilty

(Den skyldige)

In select theaters
October 19^th 2018

85 minutes

Danish
English

Denmark

When police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is demoted to desk work, he expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher. That all changes when he answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman who then disconnects abruptly. Asger, confined to the police station, is forced to use others as his eyes and ears as the severity of the crime slowly becomes more clear. The search to find the missing woman and her assailant will take every bit of his intuition and skill, as a ticking clock and his own personal demons conspire against him. This innovative and unrelenting Danish thriller uses a single location to great effect, ratcheting up the tension as twists pile up and secrets are revealed. Director Gustav Möller expertly frames the increasingly messy proceedings against the clean Scandinavian sterility of the police department, while Cedergren’s strong performance anchors the film and places the audience squarely in Holm’s tragically flawed yet well-intentioned mindspace.

starring...

Jakob Cedergren

Asger Holm

Jessica Dinnage

Iben

Omar Shargawi

Rashid

Johan Olsen

Michael

Jacob Lohmann

Director

Gustav Möller

Writer

Emil Nygaard Albertsen, Gustav Möller

Producer

Lina Flint

Cinematography

Jasper Spanning

Music

Carl Coleman, Caspar Hesselager

Editing

Carla Luffe Heintzelmann

Production Design

Gustav Pontoppidan

98% on the CINEMETER

MIL

100% - Nov 4, 2018

What a fantastic thriller! Short, sparse but so effective in taking you on a winding journey. Great film!
Milwaukee Member

Suspenseful with good twists. I like how lean it was. Never assume.
Milwaukee Member

Excellent! Fantastic!
Milwaukee Member

Excellent! Jakob Cedergren was a great actor.
Milwaukee Member

STL

96% - Oct 14, 2018

Outstanding performance by Jakob Cedergren. (shades of Von Sydow?) The close-ups by the director are so revealing of this character's thinking and feeling. Wonderful capturing Cedergren's eye movements, facial expressions. A truly memorable character. Asger has character flaws that have gotten him in trouble repeatedly. He's rigid. He's judgmental. He makes assumptions. He jumps to conclusions. He's bitter. We learn that quickly from the script at the beginning. Anger finds redemption in his experiences with Iben, Michael, Mathilde. He first believes he cannot fix the situation he has created, but as he shares and shows empathy and compassion, he realizes that things can be repaired. He then reaches out. This is his triumph.
St. Louis Member

Reminded me of "Searching" and how John Cho was looking for his daughter on the computer. Excellent character development! Lesson to remember! Not arise to jump to conclusions.
St. Louis Member

The silence was a much needed relief from the tension. Spellbinding without car chases.
St. Louis Member

Powerful! Tense! Great attention to detail--emphasized the strong emotional ups and downs. At the end I thought it's always good to get as much information at the beginning of any conversation that might involve problem solving--especially Emergency Services.
St. Louis Member

Excellent film. Gripping. Interesting study in human reaction to stressful situations. Director created an ambiance, an atmosphere that was believable. We the audience sat willing and patiently for answers for 85 minutes!
St. Louis Member

An amazing portrayal of how our emotions can be our best friends and worst enemies. Especially, when we are attempting to communicate with others, there are many pitfalls! false assumptions and miscommunications of various types. Technology can help in some ways but can create some of the worst frustrations.
St. Louis Member

ATL

98% - Oct 14, 2018

Stunning! THE reason I subscribe to the Cinema Club.
Atlanta Member

Wow, that was just amazing [Brilliant! Gripping. Terrific. Fabulous. Super. Enthralling. A real winner. Riveting--felt like I was run over by a Mack truck--multiple comments]
Atlanta Member

I was at the edge of my seat the entire film. The 'silence" had a main role and Cedergren was perfect in his reaction to everything that happens.
Atlanta Member

This is the sort of film Hitchcock would have made at his peak.
Atlanta Member

We are guilty of jumping to conclusions--making assumptions based on our subjective views, with potentially tragic consequences.
Atlanta Member

Wow! Taut, tense action inside a single room. Use of red lighting at end was particularly affecting. Loved the use of the selzer to show the turmoil beneath. Loved it!
Atlanta Member

Last night I saw A Star is Born. It was mediocre. Can’t hold a candle to this film. Masterful. EVOLUTION on all levels here—the characters, the assumptions, his face expressing his evolving understanding, events unfolding, the main plot, the secondary story of Asgar’s situation. Incredible.
Atlanta Member

Loved the ‘closed room’ nature of the film as it kept me riveted. The film managed to deal with huge topics (crime, punishment, police abuse, mental illness) in a small physical space.
Atlanta Member

BOS

99% - Oct 7, 2018

OMG!! I have no fingernails left!!! This was the MOST suspenseful movie I have ever seen!
Boston Member

Outstanding story, filming, acting.
Boston Member

Superb
Boston Member

I never would have chosen to see this movie if I had known it was about a psychotic mother who killed her baby but it was extremely well done and I'm glad I saw it.
Boston Member

Wow. Very intense! OMG!! I have no fingernails left!!! This was the MOST suspenseful movie I have ever seen!
Boston Member

Very powerful actor, felt his emotions strongly.
Boston Member

Riveting! Actor deserves Academy Award. Excellent psychological thriller.
Boston Member

Brilliant psych thriller.
Boston Member

94% - Oct 7, 2018

Incredible film in all aspects. The "one room" concept was riveting, and the focus on Asger was compelling. Gave a real sense of pressure and the trauma of the job.
San Francisco Member

Now THAT'S a movie! I was on the edge of my seat for the whole show. [many such comments]
San Francisco Member

I can usually tell what I'm thinking about a film by how much wiggling I do. This was a "no wiggle" film. Taut, thrilling, terrific acting.
San Francisco Member

Brilliant twists and turns - Jacob Cerdegren is a tour de force in this role. [many similar comments on the lead performance]
San Francisco Member

Letter perfect story, superb acting. Amazing soundtrack enhancement - how could an earful be such an eyeful?
San Francisco Member

98% - Oct 7, 2018

Everyone harbors some kind of guilt - there are just degrees. Such an intense film.
Greater New Haven Member

The sound and acting were amazing.
Greater New Haven Member

Tense, layered, complicated.
Greater New Haven Member

A closeup of troubled souls. I was on the edge of my seat.
Greater New Haven Member

Totally gripping tale.
Greater New Haven Member

Amazing - I've never been so riveted or anxious during a film.
Greater New Haven Member

98% - Oct 7, 2018

I'm stunned and exhausted, it was the most astounding movie I have ever seen!
Washington, DC Member

A very compelling film - it was suspenseful and realistic. Films like this one explain why we have been members of the Cinema Club since 1994!
Washington, DC Member

An amazing film! Really a combo of two art forms, film and radio drama woven to perfection. Screenplay is superb, plotting, character development, a deep study of human nature. Closeups were powerful and revealing. To observe and study the vein bulging on Ansgar's forehead is to be SHOWN the anguish that we experience.
Washington, DC Member

Fantastic example of show, don't tell, the lead actor is able to communicate so much with so little. Also really good at respecting the audience and letting them connect the dots.
Washington, DC Member

Interesting use of light and dark, especially at the end when Asger comes from dark office to the main room, into the light, to take the call and save a life. Strong acting performance with a typically dark Scandinavian twist.
Washington, DC Member

Magnolia Pictures