PhotoBite’s Pick from LFF 2017: Joachim Trier’s Thelma
Joachim Trier’s haunting thriller, Thelma, was a highlight of the recent London Film Festival for team PhotoBite. The listing served as the UK premiere of the film, which is being released in cinemas on November 3. We recommend that you head out to see it, too.
From acclaimed director Joachim Trier [Reprise, Oslo, August 31st, Louder Than Bombs], Thelma is a supernatural thriller about a young woman who, upon falling in love for the first time, discovers that she has terrifying and inexplicable powers.
Thelma [Eili Harboe], a shy young student, has just left her religious family in a small town on the west coast of Norway to study at a university in Oslo. While at the library one day, she experiences a violent, unexpected seizure. Soon after, she finds herself intensely drawn toward Anja [Okay Kaya], a beautiful young student who reciprocates Thelma’s powerful attraction. As it becomes clearer that the seizures are symptoms of mysterious, often dangerous, supernatural abilities, Thelma is confronted with tragic secrets of her past, and the terrifying implications of her powers.
Trier’s fourth feature took the Toronto International Film Festival by storm. Praised particularly for its visual stylings and direction, as well as Harboe’s commanding performance, Thelma is a powerful drama exploring the unexplainable.
Watch the official trailer below: