Review: Bad Faith (Ond tro)

It is always interesting when a writer and director’s self-awareness becomes apparent in the final product of a film. While the whole reason one watches a film is to have their puppet strings pulled to evoke some sense of connectedness and emotion, the times when a director chooses to not so much pull but rather gently tug these strings is a fine film created.

The story of Bad Faith is a rather simple affair. It is the story of Mona (Sonja Richter), recently moved to the Swedish city of Gothenburg, who encounters a dying man one night after work. After choosing to not help him, Mona learns that he was the victim of a serial killer in the area and quickly becomes fascinated in hunting him out. At the same time, Mona’s status as a loner leads her to the only person with whom she connects with in the city, Frank, by means of his own doubts in Mona’s mental stability. Mona eventually tracks down who she believes is the serial killer only to reveal her fascination in him has turned into an obsession she can’t live without.

The progression of Bad Faith is as slow as a Nordic winter and equally chilling. With little to no background on Mona, the audience is left alone with her, minus her thoughts. Instead these are substituted by her haunting gaze, which isn’t foretelling but rather thrilling in its own right. Equally impressive is the employment of nighttime in crafting Mona’s character – when her rigidity is somewhat relaxed but senses are on high alert. The oscillation between these nighttime sequences and strict isolation with Mona (even if Frank is present, his presence feels worlds away) build layer upon layer of tension that is only released by a refreshing and ultimately “domestic” ending. As stated before, the viewer’s emotional strings aren’t so much pulled in one direction or another, but instead are gently steered into a path of darkness, only to see the light in a new colour after emerging.

With the recent trend of Hollywood seeking stories from around the world to remake in their own light, it would not be surprising to see a remake of Bad Faith sometime in the future.

No related posts.