There is something powerful about films that portray the cruelty of winter. When shot well, these films can chill you as if you are there with the characters and have you reaching for cover before the cold can catch your hand. THE DAMNED is a film set during a long, hard winter, and it is that heartless, frigid landscape that is scarcely suitable for life, which is perhaps why death stalks it so freely.
If you are looking for a film to remind you of the bitter power of winter, and the dreadful horrors that can lurk within it, look no further. You’ve found what you’re looking for.
Set in a small Icelandic village on the coast, THE DAMNED follows a young widow who has taken over the fishing outpost her husband and she had started. She oversees a team of rugged men who are used to the brutal temperatures and lifestyle of fishing while she is struggling to come to terms with it. The group is struggling to survive as supplies decrease, but they are resolute that they will do whatever it takes to bring in the next catch. One evening a ship is seen off the coast of the village, near the hazardous rock formation that took the widow’s husband, and as they watch, the ship hits the rocks and goes down quickly. The night air is full of the screams and cries of the distant crew, but after some arguing, it’s decided that they cannot support anyone else with the supplies they have, and they dare not risk the dangerous waters to try to save these men. Based on the cruel reality of their situation, this decision is one that all of the men and the two women in the village will soon come to question as something malicious comes among them in the night.
THE DAMNED is beautifully shot and drags you into the cold world of that village. The terrain becomes another character in the film, as do the rough waters. THE DAMNED puts you into this world, and you are trapped there, just like the fishermen and the two women.
The acting is very good and keeps the film grounded even as talk of the supernatural becomes prevalent. Even in the moments where you expect an easy way out with the story, it doesn’t go in that direction.
The writing is good, though the story is a familiar one as far as themes and the directions it heads, but the commitment to the atmosphere and not changing course from what the film is really works in its favor. This is a quiet chiller, not a film of jump scares and thrills, and it’s better for it. The movie is a close cousin to folk horror and the terror is taken just as seriously as the drama, and as the paranoia of the situation closes in, the intensity rises.
The biggest flaw to find here is more that the film feels familiar in its tone and story but, again, the way it all comes together works wonderfully. The film ends on a note just as frigid as the rest of the film as the harsh reality of what has been playing out becomes clear. It’s a very well made, wonderfully acted film that is soaked in dread and regret.
This is a very good film and one that fits perfectly in the colder months and which will surely offer many viewers a shiver they won’t quickly get over.
3.75 out of 5
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