The Damned (2024)

The-Damned-(2024)
The Damned (2024)

The paranoia that surrounds Icelandic culture of being superstitiously cut off from the rest of the world resonates deeply in the book written by Thordur Palsson as he set the story ‘The Damned’ in the early 18th and presents it in the most eerie light possible. He portrays the fishing community’s inner turmoil as they are caught in a vicious storm desperately trying to save their floating ship while grappling with the reality on shore which seems to be disintegrating while being rooted to it. The sheer frustration of not being able to do anything about the situation stems from the storm.

Eva (Odessa Young) is introduced as a widow controlling her husband’s fishing boat and allowing the local fisherman to use it but only under certain limitations, she also holds authority over the fishing boat which instantly brings us to the reality of the broader frozen seas and land of Iceland, where every action and resource can have a big impact. While most of the depicted townsfolk seemed to pursue good and friendly as well as gather in bars to drink and sing about fishing there seems to be more about conflict and strength of characters as most towns appeared to be artificial.

A foreign boat capsized in the sea and to the inhabitants of the town, it became a big issue as they silenced themselves arguing whether it was worth their time and energy to try and search and get the ship. This contention becomes even more problematic when the shipwreck starts bringing food and drinks from the sea which is now beneficial to the town. The central sentence brings out the major conflict that the towns’ people are struggling with; being able to head towards the jagged rocks in the area which is dangerous as survivors may need help. While the screams of their conscience become unbearable, their bodies remain calm as they stare into the abyss hoping to find someone standing there or at least inside of their heads.

The film begins in a dim-lit area and slowly makes its way into a village where the cut-off of a villager’s life sets in a somewhat moral sense to the plot which further moves the plot forward. The angle to the tension changes as the frames on Eva, having to manage how the show should go, seem to be in conflict. It’s all a dreadful feeling and the only comfort given to the viewer is when Eva is along with her male subordinate Daniel (Joe Cole) which is a whole new ethical aspect on its own. But every time Daniel and Eva have practical conversations, the film has a calming sense to it.

To a greater extent as the plot of the movie progresses, the measured performance of Young’s character, Eli Arenson’s coalescence with high contrast structuring, and Stephen McKeon’s gripping tunes contribute to the scheming ambiance the actor is aiming to establish. Notwithstanding, Palson’s treatment of the tale from the surface seems to have wrecked this piece of creativity. The alleged jump scares all start to take on a form that is familiar to them: the usual stupid ‘sop’ feints, which nearly always accompany at least some noise, and something almost guaranteed to be frightening. The first time around it’s fun, but on its million and one try? As such.

This certainly does make the film have a negative effect. While its cast is still focused on the intrinsic and sociological dynamics of the storyline, there exists a plethora of occurrences where the cycle of extraterrestrial imagery disengages the viewer from the tension present in the film. Each of the actors achieved self-deprecation with dramatic finesse during filming but unfortunately director encapsulated the film with a narrative that was backed by strong ethereal symbolism that undermined the viewer’s ability to feel any emotional intensity. Quite opposite to how easily Palsson makes the disjointed connections between the ‘real’ events and the ‘fantasy’ events in the storyline. The tendency of over-explaining seems to affect a majority of the film, with the noticeable exception of the climax where it seems to occur the most exaggerated.

The first and foremost idea the happenings of ‘The Damned’ get stratified’, seems to be one that is least wanted yet bound to happen. Its tinge of uncertainty is effectively quelled due to the efforts put in by young Rose Morrison portraying a little girl who is looking to break free from an overbearing set of responsibilities. All in all, the film does offer an impressive psychological and emotional insight into the aftermath of terrible regrets. Some specters can be terrifying even without their physical presentation but even then their numbers still stand in the hundreds.

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