When Darkness Falls (2006)

Thanks for the memories!

Better Late Then Never

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I never thought I'd live to see the day: a Swedish movie that doesn't indulge in depression, doom, gloom, gray scenery, people committing suicide left and right. No vein-cutting, no noose-tightening, no gun-loading in a barely-lit Malmo room, no Bergmanesque self-hatred and despondency. No Liv Ullman crying her eyes out as she begs her husband not to elope with his mistress to a lone island, no Max von Sydow clumsily impersonating a self-loathing womanizer, and no pointless fill-in-the-meaning-yourself scenes full of yawn-worthy gobbledygook..Yes, NMF has an interesting story. It is exciting, well-acted, briskly paced, hence thoroughly enjoyable.The most effective of the three stories is "Leyla". In particular Oldoz Javidi, who plays the title character, is the standout in the movie. The only complaint I have about her is her name which is absolutely impossible to remember! (Try it: have fun - and good luck with it!) After a few failed attempts I finally had to paste her name into this text because I kept forgetting it. The only flaw in the story itself is the cowardice exhibited by the filmmakers in not making the family be Moslems. (Do Christians indulge in "honour killings" of their daughters?... Not that I'm trying to make saints out of Christians either, mind you.) The writers didn't even have the guts to let them speak their own language, which would have been far more logical than always speaking Swedish, considering that most(?) of the family members didn't even own Swedish passports, hence couldn't have been 3rd- or 4th-generation immigrants. It is not even clear which country they're from. Were the filmmakers afraid of ending up like the Dutch documentary maker Van Gogh? If that's all the courage Europeans currently possess, then au revoir Western civilization...Strangely enough, the mob revenge tale is the weakest of the three, perhaps because that particular subject had been flogged to death in countless TV crime shows and action flicks.

Recap: Three separate stories are intertwined and tell a dark tale about three separate events that have one thing in common. They all constitute three major problems in society today. One about a threatened daughter when her parents accuse here of violating their honor (Swedish: hedersvåld), one about organized crime and threatened witnesses and the third about a successful but at home abused woman. Each and every story starts with a bright moment, a party, a celebration of some sort but then tells what might lurk beneath the surface when darkness falls.Comments: A very strong and important movie. Not a movie to feel good about, but a movie that really moved me, touched me and conveyed feelings. And when the intent is too bring light where darkness reign that is a very good sign. This movie tells three very important stories in a honest and brutal way and it is hard not to listen. Very good.The movie is over two hours long, but never dull. This is due to the three separate stories that are randomly intertwined. There is suspense in that you never know which story will come next and what will happen, and what will happen in the particular story you just saw. The cuts are also very good, switching on something both stories have in common which can be something minor as a bump in the road.Also I think this movies success is due to its ambitions. It intends to focus on these questions, shed some light on them. And it is happy when it does. It does not intend to be a comedy too, or be a spectacular movie with lots of effects. It does not intend to analyze the characters bad childhoods or something like that. It has its ambitions, the three stories, and never sways it focus. A lesson to learn for many Swedish filmmakers that often try to do a hilarious comedy about a extremely sad story like unemployment or loneliness and at the same time analyze why the society is like it is. Focus on one thing. This movie did, it just wanted to shed light on three problems. And it did. Brilliantly.8/10

I saw this movie just last week on the Berlin International Film Festival because it's a Swedish movie and I had the chance to watch in original language there. I did not know anything about it and was very surprised how good it was! Although it started at 9:30 p.m. and was very long (134 Minutes), it never gets boring and it was truly worth staying up so late. It was very intense and gripping! Especially the episode about the "honour murder" where a young woman is killed by her own family because she dishonored the family by having a boyfriend. Her sister is traumatized and struggles to deal with that. When she decides to go to the police she puts her own life in danger.But also the other stories are great: A female prize winning and tough journalist has experienced domestic violence for many years until she finally has the courage to report her husband to the police. Since her husband worked for the same newspaper and was a journalist, too she looses her friends and colleagues because they believe that she only exaggerated.And the owner of a disco witnessed an shooting in front of his location in which one of his bouncers who is a very good friend gets shot in the leg. He refuses to take money from the shooter for not testifying although all other witnesses do so. As a consequence he has to live in fear for himself and the ones he loves.I recommend this movie to people who liked the other movies from the same director Nilsson (Den tredje vagen - The Third Wave) and "L.A. Crash".I see a lot of movies and have already seen many of this years Oscar Nominees. But none of the movies I saw lately moved me like this one. That film really would deserve a nomination next year. I don't understand why it wasn't in the competition here in Berlin!I hope the movie will come to the cinemas in many countries, at least here in Germany. I deserves to be seen.

När mörkret faller (When darkness falls) is disturbing, indeed it made me cringe several times, but I must recommend it to everyone. The issues of domestic violence, "honour related violence" and indeed the distortion of justice are far more commonplace than any of us would like to admit. Therefore this film serves a purpose well beyond entertainment.It is also a very well made film, offering some realistic and gripping characters, played to perfection by a very strong cast mixing old and new talent. But one must single out the young newcomer, Oldoz Javidi (Leyla), for special praise. She was great.The writers and writer/director Anders Nilsson also manages to stay away from the most blatant of stereotypes, and this is one of the key reasons why this film manages to hit home the message that many people live in fear but for many different reasons. All credit also to the way the film so easily slips in and out of the three different story lines without loosing the viewers - even though it offers almost too much information. But it still lands on the right side of the fence so go see it.