Beck - Skarpt läge (2006)

Beck - Skarpt läge (2006)

"Beck Skarpt Lage" is a fine police procedural and crime drama from Sweden that may draw unfair comparisons to "Seven." But it is a different animal -- here the horror in the film takes place not in dark alleys or seedy nightclubs (or in open fields where delivery men bring heads in a box) but it happens in the safe tranquility of the home. "Skarpt läge" is about domestic violence; it about how husbands can sometimes abuse their patriach authority to lash out on their wives. This is a relevant social subject for Sweden and Switzerland considering the increasing wife battery cases there.

Although the film is called "Beck" it is rarely about the police segreant; his partner Gunvald gets more screen time and a subplot about his estranged sister who is also a victim of domestic abuse supplements the narrative. Beautifully shot, the coldness of Scokholm is adds a wonderful visual texture to the story. The sound design is an integral part in building the mood especially during the scenes of Orberg and Monika who is on the run from him. Little blood is spilt and the violence is kept offscreen mostly which is effective -- this allows us to imagine what might have happened. A tightly-wound film that is sometimes exceedingly harsh on men of weak character.

Rating:

1/2 out of