Border (2018)
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Border Movie Review
Border is a 2018 Swedish fantasy film directed by Ali Abbasi and starring Eva Melander. It just might be the best film of the entire decade.
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“You are not human“
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This is a miraculous movie. There is no other way to say it. It’s the kind of movie that any mention of its plot and even its genre is a spoiler so mark this review as a spoiler review. The plot is not like anything I have seen before. It is one of the most original films of all time and certainly the most authentic flick of the 2010s decade.
Let’s talk about it in more detail. It follows a woman with an extremely strong sense of smell. She can sniff out not only any smell from a short distance but also emotions. She works in the border agency where she helps the police arrest the smugglers. When one day a smuggler of child pornography comes in, they ask for her help to expose the entire child pornography/pedophile operation.
But that entire story is interconnected with the arrival of another very ugly, strange man similar to her. The two start a strong romantic relationship and develop a connection. She eventually learns the truth from him that she is not a human, but a troll. And most trolls were killed during the 70s so their number has dwindled down significantly.
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Needless to say, the movie has two subplots in a way, but both of those are so perfectly connected with each other that I could not see them as subplots, but just one giant, meticulously crafted storyline. The child pornography one is dark, but it’s so tactfully done and becomes such a strong thriller.
However, the film is above all else a fantasy masterpiece. It’s a rare fantasy film which starts off entirely as a drama film and in that way it becomes rooted in reality in an admirable, maybe even groundbreaking manner. I could believe all of it which is a testament to how smart and realistic its execution is.
From the first moment, I realized I was watching something at least very different, if not special. But quickly I could see I was witnessing cinematic history being made (at least I hope that’s how it will turn out in the future) as the film is twisty and unpredictable and simply extraordinarily out there in terms of its plot that it becomes one of the most unique cinematic experiences that I have ever witnessed. Almost none of its plot points did I manage to predict and the fact that we got a highly original and also extremely unpredictable movie in 2018 just goes to show that authenticity can still happen and I am glad that I finally witnessed it.
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Eva Melander’s performance in the main role is filled with a huge number of emotions that she truly deserves high praise, even with all that make-up on her. I don’t know how much VFX this movie used as it looks so amazing that not all of it could have been make-up. Eero Milonoff also gave a terrific performance and watching those two was truly a sight to behold as all of their scenes together are acting and emotional standouts in the film.
Tina’s father is a very problematic, but mostly sweet man and Roland is also important for the plot and Tina’s progression toward her acceptance of herself and her developing self-respect. But this is the film about Vore and Tina (or Reva which is her real name) and both are immensely complex, superbly developed characters. The twist with him is excellent and that conflict that arose was very thought-provoking and it ultimately showcased her wonderful sense of justice and her complex human upbringing which clashed with her troll biology in a fascinating manner.
The film showcases something that I always believed in – if there were more human species besides Homo Sapiens nowadays, there would either be serious violence or it would eventually lead to just one species as humans are incapable of respecting other races, let alone species. But the film is clever in that it showcased Vore’s horrible actions which come from the right place, but are nonetheless repulsive. Tina came to know about her and respect her, but she still remained a strongly moral, great person and I just really admired her character for that.
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Border is also a fantastic technical achievement. Not only does it feature realistic looking creatures and I liked how we witnessed their sex, genitalia and all of those details which are usually graphic for me, but are here essential, but the movie also is beautifully scored with such wonderful beats in some scenes. It’s also gorgeously shot with that forest being absolutely arresting in its beauty. I loved that setting so much.
The dialogue is highly sophisticated here and the script is naturally one of the best kept secrets in the cinema world now. The film is amazingly written and in such meticulous detail reminiscent of a book, but it’s ultimately so hugely cinematic that it truly succeeds as a picture. The direction from Ali Abbasi is simply stupendous for such an unknown director and the pacing in the film is superb as it flies by how engaging it is and it’s gripping in quality as I was constantly awaiting for each of its impressively unique plot points to happen.
I also liked its humor and the tonal shifts are so well done. It’s also one of the most purely unforgettable movies ever made and the one that is a pure fantasy classic coming from a near-dead genre. It shifts genres from a wonderful mystery to a crime flick to a drama to eventually a fantasy and it’s amazing in all of those areas, but as a fantasy flick, it’s a masterpiece. It’s also very weird and gross, but in the best way possible.
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Words cannot possibly describe the sheer greatness of the movie Border. I was shocked and almost speechless after witnessing this masterpiece of filmmaking and I knew instantly that I witnessed something truly special. The fact that this pure originality happened in 2018 needs to be fully respected as the movie is the most original and also entirely unpredictable movie of the decade. Almost none of its plot points can be predicted in any way as, yes, the film is that different and that unique. It’s a mix of genres in a way and all of those genres work splendidly, but it’s surely the best film of its genre in a long time. And yes, even mentioning its genre is a spoiler in itself. This is the rare movie that should be entirely kept in a shroud of secrecy as it’s that authentic and that special. The storytelling is intricate and one of a kind, the acting is absolutely amazing, the characters are superbly developed and the film is not only gripping from the first to the last moment, but also deep and it has something to say, as is evidenced by that beautiful, striking ending. Artistic, moving, complex, deep, raw, authentic, weird, epic, visionary and simply a future classic for the ages, Border is not just undoubtedly the best movie of 2018, but it just might be the greatest film of this entire decade.
