The claustrophobic Swedish psychological thriller Knocking from director Frida Kempff and writer Emma Broström, is an intense, immersive debut and an impressive calling card for lead actress Cecilia Milocco.
Milocco plays Molly, a middle-aged woman who is being discharged from a psychiatric ward. Adjusting to being back in the outside world, Molly lives in a small apartment on her own, gradually making herself at home. But something is wrong; a mysterious knocking sound that repeats nightly. From this simple set-up, Broström and Kempff weave wonders, transposing the viewer straight into Molly’s head. As the tension ratchets, and each of her seemingly oblivious neighbours becomes a subject of suspicion for Molly, the viewer feels every pang of paranoia, every half-dreamed memory, every frustration at not being believed along with her. Milocco is superb in the role, her body language and facial expressions belying so much of Molly’s inner life.
Knocking is a stylish film; the world of interiors captured by cinematographer Hannes Krantz in varying shades of red and brown is an oppressive, evocative one, and the repeated use of close-ups of Milocco’s expressive face mean that just like Molly, every knock becomes an intrusion from which we can’t escape. This is an impressive outing for its female creators; director, writer and actress working in tandem to tell the story of a complex woman struggling to be heard.
Swedish
English
Sweden
Läsk