Nightwatch

Toronto International Film Festival Program Book
1994

Nattevagten | Nightwatch
Ole Bornedal
Denmark, 1994
105 minutes
Colour/35mm
Production Company: Thura Film
Producer: Michael Obel
Screenplay: Ole Bornedal
Cinematography: Dan Laustsen
Editor: Camilla Skousen
Art Director: Soeren Krag Soerensen
Sound: Michael Dela
Music: Sort Sol, The Sandmen, Joachim Holbek
Principal Cast: Nikolaj Waldau, Sofie Graaboel, Kim Bodnia, Lotte Andersen, Ulf Pilgaard, Rikke Louise Andersson

Like a gently climbing rollercoaster, Nightwatch lulls you into a contented sense of security, its Repulsion-like paranoia creating a tense but static ambiance. And then, whoosh, you catapult down, barely pausing for breath as the scalpel comes out, the blood starts to fly and this thriller really starts to thrill. In that sense, this is two movies, both equally satisfying on their own terms. The first 40 minutes or so sees Martin, a cute young Dane, take a job as a night watchman in a morgue. Unsettled by the corpses around him and the tales of fellow workers, Martin is easily disturbed. His unease is made worse by an extended game of truth-or-dare played with his buddy, Jens. Soon he is getting blown by a hooker, whose best friend was just scalped by a psycho, in a restaurant, while his long-term, supportive relationship with the lovely Kalinka is crumbling. Could Jens be orchestrating all of this? And who is scalping all of these Copenhagen prostitutes? When some of these questions are answered, fairly early on, the real trouble starts for Martin. It is here that the film turns very dark, with physical violence replacing the imagined “boo” scares of before. Hints of necrophilia also whisper here and there. Director and writer Ole Borendal knows how to set a mood. The morgue sequences are all shot in unsettling yellows and barely-noticed tracking shots keep the pace moving. Nikolaj Waldau as Martin is also a find—he has enough charisma to keep us wondering what lies behind his pretty-boy face until the very end. Denmark isn’t known for producing bloody thrillers with a kinky pop and great performances. But with this explosive start it’s a welcome trend.
—Noah Cowan