Border (2018) - Movie Review

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Border for several months. Also titled Grans, the screenplay was written by John Ajvide Lindqvist who gave us Let The Right One In several years ago. The film is directed by a relative newcomer, Ali Abbassi, whose only other feature-length film, Shelley, received a tepid reception when it was released two years ago. In spite of that, the trailers for Borders were visually promising and piqued my interest. The film was released in my region yesterday, although there was a limited release in late October.

Tina (Eva Melander) is, quite possibly, the ugliest border patrol officer ever. Her prominent forehead and deep-set eyes have a cro-magnon quality that is mildly disturbing. However, she possesses a unique talent that is vital to the Border Patrol. Aside from an acute ability to smell contraband as travelers pass through her checkpoint, she has the ability to smell raw human emotions. Fear. Shame. Guilt. Tina deftly weeds out contraband. The extent of her ability is tested when she manages to ferret out an SD card with child pornography on it. The discovery leads authorities to employ Tina's talent to further investigate a child exploitation ring operating in Sweden. Tina is odd, but she doesn't sense that she is somehow other. She accepts her differences, but has adapted.

That sense of place is challenged when Tina meets a strange traveler named Vore (Eero Milonoff). Vore is a kindred spirit. The two develop a relationship that leads Tina to make startling discoveries about her own past. As Tina comes to terms with her fantastical roots, she struggles with her understanding of humanity. The story maintains a deep connection to the natural world with a perspective of humans as polluting the natural order. Yet Vore represents many of the qualities indicted in the process. Tina finds herself on a diverging path and must make a hard decision about her fundamental beliefs about her own existence and the world around her.

Lindqvist is a master story teller, while managing to challenge everything we believe and understand about ourselves. He accomplishes that by creating stories with intimacy. The protagonist does not have many relationships, but the ones depicted in the story are essential in developing her connections to her environment. When faced with crisis, her decisions aren't one-dimensional. They have complexity based on her interactions throughout the story. Her connections with nature, her friends, her career, her father and her newfound friend are all elements that play into the broader theme. By developing these stories with evident affection, the outcome becomes relevant. I felt connected and invested in the outcome. The story also manages to indict elements of humanity while recognizing the good without losing sight of the core story.

Border is a Swedish film. As such, I was unfamiliar with the cast. Looking at photos of Melander, I am not sure I would have recognized her anyway. She is fairly attractive without the incredible make up used to transform her into her role as Tina. I enjoyed her performance. She seemed wholly absorbed by the role. Milonoff was equally incredible, helping to make a fantasy seem plausible. There were other peripheral cast members, but the story centers on these two. The casting was strong. The performances helped sell the illusion of a far-fetched fantasy, much like Let the Right One In.

Border has a gender-bending plot line that employs graphic imagery for shock effect. The film has plenty of nudity, often a bit disturbing. There is a definite parallel to Let the Right One In in this respect. The nudity is contextual, bizarre and unsettling. There is a sex scene that I have to admit is unlike anything I have witnessed in film. The film contains violence, a dose or two of gore, sensitive subject matter (child exploitation) and nudity. The nudity includes full frontal. The thematic material is adult throughout this film. I would be inclined to limit viewership to mid-teens or older. The MPAA is on solid ground with an R rating for this one hour, fifty minute film.

If you liked the film Let the Right One In, you are bound to enjoy Border as well. There are quite a few parallel elements. Both films feature gender fluid fantasy elements that deal with the supernatural. Both stories share a subplot that deals with child exploitation. And they both opt for shock effect. This film is solid cinema, but it plodded along at times. The ending seemed to struggle the most. In tying the story together, the film floundered a bit, but managed to deliver an ending that made sense and managed to pull everything tight with just a few unanswered questions. If nothing else, this film will challenge you. I found it to be engaging and true to itself. It could have been better, but I was not disappointed. 7.5/10.

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