I feel like I’m often taking any chance I get to bash on Bohemian Rhapsody at the moment but hopefully, this is the last time I deservedly exploit a bad film for a cheap comparison. The main connection between the two films here, however, is the sound work. You may or may not be aware I’m very displeased with Bohemian Rhapsody not only walking away with one sound Oscar but two.
The Guilty follows Asger a police officer who has been given desk duty at the emergency dispatch for reasons we don’t know when he receives a call from a woman who has been kid
napped. His instincts are to be out there trying to find her but he has to remain behind his desk. Therefore his only tool is his phone. As the film takes place in one room the first-time director Gustav Möller finds some creative ways to heighten the tension.
The most obvious way to do so would be to use rhythm in the editing. Longer shots to build tension and cutting quicker to release the tension. Something similar is done with sound. When not on the phone the sounds we hear all rely on Asger’s state of mind. The sounds of the office can be turned up or down depending on the mental state of Asger. Except it’s while on the phone real craft is display. Characters on the other end of the line inhabit different spaces. Moving in and out of cars for example. The timing of such helps build the give the film its unique Nordic thriller atmosphere.
Another aspect of The Guilty is its use of trauma and mental health. The backstory behind Asger’s relegation to desk duty clearly has an impact on how behaves throughout the film. We also get the sense that the kidnapper has his own hurdles to overcome. It earnestly uses trauma, PTSD and mental health to create obstacles for characters to overcome. Even though it feels like characters deal with this all in a way that theoretically should benefit their mental health I still got the sense that it was a tad exploitative to use this for drama and our entertainment. Perhaps a few more moments of talking about what it’s like to confront such things would’ve solved this.
By being a bit more brutal in its details in plot and smarter in its technical achievements, The Guilty achieves what it set out to do.
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What do you think of The Guilty?
The Guilty is an exclusive to Dendy Cinemas Newtown in Sydney
