Den Skyldige (2018)

Directed by Gustav Möller. Starring Jakob Cedergren, (voices) Jessica Dinnage, Johan Olsen, Omar Shargawi, Katinka Evers-Jahnsen.

Temporarily reassigned to answer emergency switchboard calls, Copenhagen policeman Cedergren is already feeling the pressure from impending fallout over on-duty misconduct when he receives a call from a woman who may have been kidnapped by her husband. Good single-location exercise in escalating tension, evolving narrative, and thematic parallels (if a touch all-too-convenient on the last count) make the most of the limited story idea. Cedergren is effective whether under guarded control or fraying at all ends, which is critical to the film’s success because debuting director Möller struggles to find fresh ways to stage the action; even with a veteran in command, I suspect this material would still work just as well (if not better) as a radio play. Debuted at Sundance. English title translation is “the guilty”, which is the name of the 2021 American remake.

70/100