The Damned - Movie Review

‘The Damned’ revolves around the protagonist, Eva, a woman who is a widow living in a 19th-century village in Iceland. Amidst a harsh winter, a foreign ship wrecks off the coast, forcing Eva and the townspeople into a moral dilemma: recover the stranded crew or preserve the limited resources that would enable the crew to survive. It is primarily this exceptional mise-en-scène which helps to build this preposterously paranoid atmosphere for the villagers to then deal with their own guilt and the chilling notion of retribution. It is actually an examination of the lives of human beings within the context of the decisions made under extreme pressure. Adding to that, Québécois folk horror enhances the eerie mood of the show and describes the world as beautiful and merciless at the same time.

Odessa Young plays the character of Eva expressively telling a story of the internal fight of the soul and physical strength. The boot is driven home when Joe Cole and Siobhan Finneran, especially, lend pertinent characterization to the villagers, painting a picture of a group of people on the edge. Still, some character arcs lack depth.

Iceland’s Thordur Palsson does a great job in directing of ‘The Damned’, and the production design; performances are effective making a symbolical impression of a cold blooded, enclosed, isolated doomsday. Even, the scenes of horror are blended nicely with dramatic volatility that reflects a great direction in the sub-genre of folk horror, in the movie.

The soundtrack of the film is specially composed and well in sync with the darkness of ‘The Damned’. It expands the story by intensifying the sense of fear and unease especially when the film is at its most tense.

The use of visual is great in portraying the crude and cold environment of Iceland. Cold and dark settings are effective in creating mood and matched the characters’ inner world visually.

The setting of the film several is actually based on the real 19th century Iceland village. These aspects bring the feel of realism to the movie; the fishing boats, houses and structure of the homes seen in the movie look real. This selection enhances the authenticity of like-natured tales and strengthens the time-based setting of the film.

‘The Damned’ does not rely on fairy-tale special effects, instead, they become minor plot additions that amplify the essence of the folk horror film. It improves the atmosphere of the movie making it more horrific but does not interfere with the storyline or cast. Nevertheless, some scenes overstayed their welcome and this somewhat slows down the pace.

In this aspect, the deliberately slow pace serves the film’s dark ambience well, but can possibly try the patience of a viewer. Combined with the evocative dialogue in ‘The Damned’, it complies with the immersive depiction of historical and psychological realities of the characters, their stress, and the burdens of consequences. The music blends perfectly with the dark envelope of the movie, although at some moments, it seems to be too sharp and melodramatic to bring the intended intensity of the picture. However, it amends with a compelling storyline and magnificent cinematography.

‘The Damned’ delivers a bleaker horror, especially the folk horror genre, which envelops the audience with morality within the cold world it portrays. It proved itself to be a tremendous drama whose atmosphere combined gloom and moral ambiguity with suspense while the movie is slightly slow at times.