SnoopyStyle Jan Thomas Hansen (Pål Sverre Hagen) is in prison for killing a child during his teens. He is released on parole and finds work as a church organist. He befriends the priest Anna and her young son. His victim's mother Agnes (Trine Dyrholm) accidentally spots him in the church as his troubled past resurfaces to cause chaos.It has a slow plodding pace for most of the movie. The lead is playing the quiet character very close to the vest. It doesn't allow much tension into the first half of the movie. When Agnes is put into the movie, it is a bit of ticking clock for the audience as we wait for the inevitable confrontation. The first half already lays out what is going to happen in much of the second half. Maybe it went one step too far by telling us that the boy goes missing. Nevertheless there is a realism in the performances by both leads. The movie gets much more fascinating with the two characters on the same screen.

Sindre Kaspersen Norwegian screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and director Erik Poppe's third feature film which he co-wrote with Norwegian author, musician and screenwriter Harald Rosenløw Eeg, is based on a story by Erik Poppe, Harald Rosenløw Eeg and Finn Gjerdrum and is the final part of his Oslo Trilogy which was preceded by "Scphaa" (1998) and "Hawaii, Oslo" (2004). It premiered in Norway, was shot on location in Oslo, Norway and is a Norwegian production which was produced by Norwegian producers Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B. Kvae. It tells the story about a man named Jan Thomas Hansen who after having spent eight years in prison for the murder of a young boy named Isak, is released on parole. Due to his musical talent, Jan Thomas gets himself a job as an organist at a church in Oslo, Norway where he acquaints a priest named Anna who lives on her own with her son named Jens who is in kindergarten. Whilst Jan Thomas is getting settled in his new apartment and with his job, the preschool teacher and mother of 4-year-old Isak named Agnes who lives with her husband named Jon and their two adoptive daughters named Selma and Malin is considering whether or not their family should move to Denmark. Distinctly and precisely directed by Nordic filmmaker Erik Poppe, this finely paced and somewhat fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from the protagonist's point of view, draws an authentic, humane and rarely gripping portrayal of a somewhat reluctantly forgiveness-seeking Norwegian man who whilst adapting to life outside prison befriends a single mother and her only child whom reminds him of the child he was imprisoned for having killed with another man nearly a decade earlier, and a mother who one summer day recognizes one of the two men who took her son's life walking around in society as a free man and talking with a child. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, sterling cinematography by Norwegian cinematographer John Christian Rosenlund, production design by Norwegian production designer Kristine Wilhelmsen and use of light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about living with loss, looking for conclusive answers, returning to society, acknowledging one's guilt and the possibility of reconciliation, depicts an acutely internal study of character and contains a great and timely score by Swedish composer Johan Söderqvist. This sociological, conversational, modestly romantic and psychological drama from the late 2000s which is set in the capital city of Norway in the 21st century and where an ex-convict is beginning his first intimate relationship in years and a Norwegian citizen of Danish origins begins approaching one of her son's perpetrators, is impelled and reinforced by it's fragmented narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity, vivid characters, emotional substance, poignant and illuminating instrumental music, comment by Agnes : "It is one thing to have lost him. It is something else to not find him again." the impressive acting performance by Norwegian actor Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen in an introverted and deeply vulnerable role interpretation, the masterful acting performance by Danish actress Trine Dyrholm whose performance starts off as understated and escalates into a hurricane of emotional expressions and the reverent acting performances by Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim, Norwegian actress Ellen Dorrit Petersen and Norwegian actor Frank Kjosås. An excruciatingly heartrending, gently lyrical and gracefully atmospheric character piece, and one of Norwegian cinema history's greatest films.

gretemiller Troubled Water starts out with Jan, a convicted murderer, being released from prison. He gets a job as the Organ player at a local church. The story continues as he creates a relationship with Anna, the priest. Jan also builds a relationship with her son, Jens. Meanwhile, Agnes, the mother of the boy who Jan killed, tracks him down and struggles with the past. We first see Jan's journey from the time of his release and hiring to when Jens goes missing outside of his preschool under Jan's supervision. Next the film moves to the journey of Agnes. Her life is shown in a series of flashbacks throughout her everyday life with her family and two adopted daughters. She stalks Jan periodically and finds out information about his life after prison and discovers that Jan is with Anna and her little boy Jens. The stories converge at the kidnapping of Jen's from Jan by Agnes. Jan finds her and admits to killing her son Isak while Jen's is in the car. Jens runs down the same riverbank where Jan killed Isak year's prior and wades into the river. Jan saves him from drowning and Agnes helps them both ashore. Jen's is returned to his mother. This is the first time Anna knows that Jen's was a murderer and their story is cut off halfway through a painfully conflicted conversation. Agnes goes home and reunites with her family. This is her turning point. She is able to let go of Isak and move forward fully embracing the present with her husband and two daughters.The close-up blurry shots hint at a sense of confusion. Jan is tapping into his grey area. He has been lying to himself for so many years that he started to actually believe that he didn't kill Isak. The blurry close-ups are like looking into his mind. When people think about untrue events obsessively and for long enough, they learn to permanently deny the truth, which they are trying to hide. They just bury it until even they believe the lie. This happens to Jan after he kills Isak. He starts denying it the moment he commits the crime. After that he denies responsibility in trial and is left to meditate on it in prison for years. No wonder he believes it himself. Once he is released from prison, however, he is reminded of what really happened and starts having flashbacks due to seeing Jen's and the café etc. These tangible sights and things were not there in prison. The confines allowed him to focus on denying the truth. Out in the real world, he is confronted again and again with reminders and identity crises. Agnes helps Jan realize the truth and Jan helps Agnes move on.Jon really doesn't talk much throughout the movie. Maybe words cannot express the regret and guilt that he feels about killing Isak. His music, while in prison, seems incredibly simple and dry. Once he is released and gets the opportunity to play in a real church on a magnificent organ, he is able to tap into his talent once again. The music is his way of repenting, and confessing. It is his way of expressing all of those unspeakable emotions. The beauty in his music, however, isn't achieved in a solemn tone or minor key. It is in the build, the crescendo, and/or climax of the music where hope is illustrated that inspires the beauty. During such a hard journey, Jan expresses his hope through his music.The end of this film is very depressing and not entirely closing. I don't like how things are left between Anna and Jan. Although Anna doesn't seems to look like she will forgive Jan, you never know. Her role as a priest puts her in an interesting position. There are two sides to her: mother and priest. At the end she has to pick because she is so conflicted. Although it appears to viewers that she picks motherly instincts over priestly views, one can never be sure. This just seems like such a bummer for Jan. He finally gains some closure with Agnes after she steals Anna's son Jen's and Jon saves him from her and from drowning. I guess he can't have everything though. It would probably be too much to hope that he, Anna, and Jens live happily ever after as one big happy family. The viewer is left with Anna's signs of pain and conflict and Jon's yearning to be forgiven, but no one actually knows how they end up. This film is filled with beautiful conflict.

friedman-302-406495 Employing clever symbolism and powerful camera work, "Troubled Water" brilliantly captures the complexity of atonement and forgiveness. In this final installment of his masterpiece trilogy, director Erik Poppe explores the aftermath of an unthinkable event: the kidnapping and murder of a child. Having been convicted of these crimes as a teenager, Jan Thomas (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) serves his time in prison and is released back into the world, still a young man. The first part of the film follows Jan's reentry into society – he becomes a church organist and begins a romantic relationship with the priest, Anna (Ellen Dorrit Peterson) – as well as his struggle to be forgiven – by individuals, by God, and by himself. The film then shifts points of view and focuses on Agnes (Trine Dyrholm), the mother of the little boy, as she attempts to both explain and accept the death of her son and somehow forgive his murderer. Like Poppe's previous creation, "Hawaii, Oslo," "Troubled Water" moves quickly between space, time, and perspective and has a distinctive undertone of the religious, the spiritual, and the unknown. The result is a powerful piece of art that leaves the viewer at first confused and in the end disturbingly enlightened. As its English title suggests, water is a strong symbol in this film. It is used to represent death and loss as well as redemption and rebirth. Water is present from almost the first scene, in which the little boy, Isaac, is carried off by the river's current. At this point we believe that he is already dead when he enters the water, having fallen on the rocks and hit his head. We later discover, however, that he was still alive and that Jan released him anyway, allowing him to drown. In this case, it is the water that actually kills Isaac. Years after his death, his mother still imagines Isaac floating through the murky river. Swimming in the pool, she opens her eyes under water and watches in horror as her son's body slowly disappears out of sight. For Agnes, water is the sight of both the literal and figurative loss of her son. Yet water is also a positive force, providing cleansing and redemption. After working in the church and experiencing Anna's intense faith, Jan decides to become baptized. This event symbolizes not only his rebirth and forgiveness in the eyes of God and but also his desire to become a new, better person. This ritual use of water represents Jan's transition from convicted murderer to productive member of society. Importantly, water also acts as a concrete transition in the film. Just as "Hawaii, Oslo" featured colorful, psychedelic illustrations between scenes, "Troubled Water" uses water imagery to signal significant shifts in perspective or setting. Without a doubt, the main theme of this film is forgiveness. The two narratives – that of Jan and that of Agnes – parallel the two notions of forgiveness: being forgiven and forgiving. The crime that Jan committed was terrible – unforgivable, some would say. It is for this reason that Jan has such a hard time seeking and attaining forgiveness. It is clear that he feels guilty for what he has done; the self-deprecating sadness in his eyes is unmistakable. Yet atoning for his sins does not come easily. He does not seek out Isaac's family in order to apologize and when Agnes's husband, Jon (Trond Espen Seim), demands that he confess to murdering their son, Jan refuses to do so. It is not until the end of the film that he truly admits his guilt, revealing to Agnes the horrific details of that fateful day at the river. Even then, he does not directly request forgiveness. Perhaps he knows that this would be too much to ask of her. He may attempt to gain the forgiveness of God by being baptized, of society by holding a productive job, and of himself by helping to raise another little boy (Anna's son), but he simply cannot attempt to gain the forgiveness of a mother whose little boy he killed. Ironically, Agnes chooses to forgive Jan despite his lack of solicitation. Though she spends much of the film angrily trying to achieve revenge, in the end she manages to show a remarkable amount of acceptance and compassion. She forgives the situation, telling her husband, "I'll let go of him. I promise." And she forgives Jan himself, touching his face with incredible tenderness. Her ability to forgive is nothing short of magnificent. Adding complexity to the issue of forgiveness, the supposedly pious Anna who believes in God's will and advises Jan to "accept things as are" is unable to forgive his past. The camera work in "Troubled Water" emphasizes the effect of tragedy on each character, bringing to life the duality of forgiveness. One of the most striking angles is that of the extreme close-up in which the face becomes blurred. This technique follows the split narrative; at first Jan is the focus, and then Agnes. In both cases the camera is so close that the features of the characters' faces are lost. This hazy obscurity reflects the characters' fixation with the crime and the past. It has taken over their thoughts and their lives to the extent that they are no longer themselves, or perhaps no longer human. Despite their opposing positions, the event has touched them both irrevocably. Similarly, there are many shots in which the sole focus is Jan or Agnes's facial expressions or eyes. These scenes allow us insight into the deepest emotions of the characters. The intense sadness, anger, and pain apparent in each character force us to sympathize with both sides of the story. We understand Jan's struggle for forgiveness just as much as Agnes's struggle to forgive. In this way, the viewer leaves the film questioning the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, criminal and victim. Just like troubled river water, very little in life is clear.