I invite you to check out a Norwegian movie from 2010 that I just recently discovered and seriously enjoyed. Actually, it brought on several serious giggle fits. Trollhunter, directed by André Øvredal, is another installment in the ‘found footage’ genre, but it is partly a spoof of the dramatic nature of those movies. It’s also the most realistic, in my opinion, of how often the camera would actually be turned off or forgotten in the hands of the average person.
The story comes from the footage of three college students – Thomas, Johanna and Kalle – who decide to follow and document a man whom they think is illegally hunting bears, only to discover that he’s after much bigger prey. Hans, played by comedian Otto Jespersen, is a professional trollhunter, jaded and taciturn and totally sanctioned by a secret service of the government. Oh right and if you follow him, you better rub ‘troll stench’ all over yourself and for god’s sake, don’t be a Christian. (This must be related to the giant in Jack and The Beanstalk saying, “I smell the blood of an Englishman.”)
The three students obviously think Hans is crazy, until Thomas gets bitten by something huge and loud in the dark. The moment when they see their first troll is equal parts impressive and funny. The effects are very good and not overdone, but I had no idea what the trolls were going to look like, since I found the movie through Netflix and just hit play, and I did actually burst out laughing.
There are inept government workers, cover-ups with dead bears that aren’t from Norway, an incident with goats on a bridge (they had to go there), scientific explanations for why trolls can’t handle sunlight, and a revelation about what power lines are really for. The film has English subtitles except for one scene where Thomas speaks English to a comical Polish worker, and also everyone frequently says “Okay” throughout. Go and watch it.
Image via Amazon
Do not feel shame! I saw Troll Hunter at the MOVIES and loved every second. You’ll never look at a pylon the same way again.
The film this most reminded me of was the Japanese film Big Man Japan. Both feature giant monsters that are less scary than silly. And both are comedies that don’t act like comedies. The wit is extremely dry in both and you’ll probably say “WTF” on more than one occasion. Both are quirky, and well worth your time. Unless you genuinely like the same-old-same-old.