Time: 95 Minutes
Cast:
Stellan Skarsgård as Jonas Engström
Sverre Anker Ousdal as Erik Vik
Bjørn Floberg as Jon Holt
Gisken Armand as Hilde Hagen
Maria Bonnevie as Ane
Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg

Detectives Jonas (Stellan Skarsgard) and Erik (Sverre Anker Ousdal) are called to the midnight sun country of northern Norway to investigate a recent homicide, but their plan to arrest the killer goes awry, and Jonas mistakenly shoots Erik. The suspect escapes, and a frightened Jonas pins Erik’s death on the fugitive. Jonas continues to pursue the killer as he seeks to protect himself; however, his mounting guilt and the omnipresent sun plague him with an insomnia that affects his sanity.

Most people know Insomnia as a Christopher Nolan film and that’s certainly how I knew it at first. However, it turned out to be a remake of a Norwegian film from 1997 and I was curious to check that out.

Between the original and remake, there are some notable differences, including the climax and ending. On the whole though, most of the events and characters play out the same way, albeit handled in a different way. Insomnia starts out as a clinical police procedural, but turns into a dark and gripping psychological character study over the course of the film. It’s got a particular bleakness to it, topped off with an ambiguous ending. I did know how much of it would play out from watching the remake. That aside, I just wasn’t invested in the story; I didn’t think it was that interesting.

The acting is generally fine, but it comes down to its lead actor Stellan Skarsgard, giving one of the best performances I’ve seen from him. He’s convincing and interesting as a conflicted and weary police detective trying to solve the main murder. Compared to Al Pacino’s portrayal in the Nolan remake, Skarsgard’s version is far more challenging and morally ambiguous as a character and is less sympathetic. It leans more into the guilty and obsession side, and Skarsgard’s restrained and bottled up performance is fantastic and believable.

Erik Skjoldbjærg directs this, and for a debut film its pretty good. Compared to the remake, it’s less polished and less stylistic, but has some grit and a different feel to it. It’s well shot with a muted colour pallet, and there are some tense sequences. It is also very atmospheric and helps put you into the mindest of the main character, far more than the remake. The camerawork similarly conveys the sleeplessness of its protagonist, and the editing makes you feel disorientated.

Insomnia (1997) is a dark and slow burn murder mystery thriller, well directed and led by a great performance from Stellan Skarsgard. I still like Christopher Nolan’s remake of the original just a little bit more, even if there are parts of the original which are stronger (such as Skarsgard). Still, it is worth checking out.