INSOMNIA
Norway, 1997, 97 minutes, Colour.
Stellan Skarsgaard, Maria Matheson, Sverre Anker Ousdal.
Directed by Erik Skoljbaerg.
Insomnia has a strong reputation. It was co-written and directed by Erik Skjoldbjereg. It is set in the Arctic Circle, a police investigation with a detective coming from the capital to the north of Norway.
There has been a brutal murder of a girl. However, all is not as it seems. The film focuses on the work of the detective, the effect of going to the northern area of his country and of experiencing the continual sunlight and its psychological and physical effect on him, his inability to sleep. The film is also complex in its presentation of the detective in his interactions with his co-workers, especially his error in shooting one of his fellow detectives and the lengths that to which he went to cover up.
The film presents the local police, the interrogation of the adolescents at school, the unravelling of connections between the murdered girl and a celebrated novelist. The novelist is taunting the police to expose him and arrest him.
The film is strong, a fine performance by Stellan Skarsgaard, who had been successful in his native Sweden in such films as The Simple- Minded Murderer and carved out an international career for himself with films ranging from Good Will Hunting to Dominion, the prequel to the exorcist.
The film was remade effectively by Hollywood with British Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins) as director and Al Pacino as the detective. Robin Williams was the murderous novelist.
1. An entertaining thriller? Detective story? Police investigation? The Scandinavian settings – for a Scandinavian audience? Mood, atmosphere, characters? Universal interest?
2. The Arctic setting, the summer, the light? The normal day – the long day with the sun? The hotel setting, the police precinct, the town, the roads? The importance of water? Musical score?
3. The title: its effect on the detective, the consequences in his behaviour, deceit? Human frailty and limits?
4. The prologue, the murder, the girl? The killer, his fastidious treatment of the girl’s body, clothes? Cleanliness?
5. The detective and his associate, in the plane, their discussions, the filling in of the detective’s background, his skills, the cases? The bonds between the two – and the irony that he was to accidentally kill him?
6. The detective as a character, his age, experience, success? His power? Why was he allotted this case, the attitude of authorities towards him, the importance of the case for his own career?
7. His manner, arriving at the hotel, the girl at reception? The hotel itself, wanting to sleep, the light, trying to block the sun at the window? Going to the morgue, the body and the forensic information? The site of the killing? His theories? Dealing with the police?
8. The information about the novelist, his being the girl’s boyfriend – and the novel in the room? The interrogation of the friends of the victim, the school? The boyfriend, guilty or not? The girl and her information, driving with the detective, his flirting? The questions, their effect? The role of the policewoman, her skills, interactions with the detective?
9. The information gathered about the victim, about her friendships, her man friend? The jealousy, the clothes – and the visit of the detective to the room, finding the boyfriend and the girl together? Confronting them? The party? The boy, the arrest, his boast?
10. The portrait of the killer, the respected novelist? The quotations from the book? His thinking himself intelligent? His willingness to confront the detective? The detective’s visit to the house, his shooting and running? His observing what happened with the detective in the confusion? Holding power over the detective? His phone calls, the disappearance via the trapdoor?
11. The detective and the search, the all-day light, the effect on him and the tension to track the killer, his associate, his shooting him? His changing the evidence? His covering? Changing the bullet, the death of the dog? The planting of the bullet for the boy’s guilt? The puzzle of the associates, of the policewoman? The interrogations of the detective, especially about ballistics, the distance? His explanation? The finale and the policewoman helping him to cover what he had done? Her motivation?
12. The effect on the detective, psychologically, feelings of guilt, dreams? The fantasies and imagination? The heat? Trying to purge his guilt? And yet his flirting with the receptionist, with the young girl? Losing his sense of balance?
13. The confrontation about the distances, about the travel? The pursuit of the novelist, the policewoman and her finally shooting the killer?
14. The spectacle of the final pursuit of the killer, the Arctic terrain?
15. The effect of this as a portrait of detective work, the twist with the guilt of the detective, the psychological insights?
