The ending of this film will blow you away. From its impassive beginning as a police procedural you'll think you know where the story is going. Not so. Exceptional writing and direction quickly elevate the storyline, building tension with every gripping twist and turn, revealing an unexpected moral dilemma. Jakob Cedergren is commanding as the lead while excellent camera work and audio editing complete the masterpiece.
   
    THE GUILTY is a pulse-pounding race against time that has wowed viewers around the world:  Audience Award Winner at Sundance; also winning at the Seattle, Rotterdam, Philadelphia, Montclair, Thessaloniki and Zurich. Critics agree: "Stunning"   "Riveting - It never slows down"   "Exhilerating"   "Thrilling" ...
    ⇝   Check out this brief, spot-on, spoiler-free review.

    This innovative and unrelenting Danish thriller uses a single location to great effect, ratcheting up the tension as twists pile up and secrets are revealed. Telling a complete story within a single setting often fails to sustain a feature-length film. But, with THE GUILTY it is an integral part of the film, not a gimmick nor a budgetary restriction. Director Gustav Möller expertly frames the increasingly complex proceedings against the stark Scandinavian simplicity of the police department, while Cedergren's strong performance anchors the film and places the audience squarely in Holm's tragically flawed yet well-intentioned mindspace.

    The precise writing and Cedergren's acting combine to build Holm's character as the film progresses. In addition, the film is a masterclass in audio design, subtly altering conversations and background sounds to propel the plot and the impact upon the character's state of mind. Ditto for the lighting – which intensifies and changes hue as the climax approaches.

    What really commands attention are Holm's facial expressions, shot from every conceivable angle. Sweat on his upper lip, the fear in his eyes, and his slumping shoulders allow the audience to feel events the same way he is experiencing them. This immaculate attention to detail enhances the audience's imagination in visualizing action and circumstances that neither they, nor the protagonist, can directly see. All-in-all, perfectly executed with profound, emotional results.

    When police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is assigned to deskwork while awaiting a court hearing, he expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher. His disinterest is palpable, until he answers a panicked phone call from a kidnapped woman who then disconnects abruptly. Asger, confined to the police station, is forced to use others as his eyes and ears as the severity of the crime slowly becomes more clear. The search to find the missing woman and her kidnapper will take every bit of his detective's intuition and skill, as a ticking clock and his own personal demons conspire against him.
    Holm embarks on a hair-raising journey to probe the mystery by any means necessary to return the woman to safety. He soon realizes that he's dealing with a crime much bigger than he originally thought and begins using his authority to intervene in ways that crosses ethical boundaries, merging the woman's plight with his own quest for moral redemption.
   

    I believe that the strongest images in film, the ones that stay with you the longest, are the ones you don't see.
    The idea for the film came when I stumbled across a real life 911 call from a kidnapped woman. The woman was traveling by car, and since she was sitting next to her kidnapper she was speaking in codes. At first I was just gripped by the suspense of the call, as any listener would be. But then I started reflecting on what made it so intriguing.
    Even though I had just listened to a sound recording it felt like I had seen images. I had seen the woman, the car she was in, the road the car was on, and even the kidnapper sitting next to her. I realized, that every single person listening to that phone call would see different images: a different woman, a different kidnapper, and so on.
    I started thinking: What if you used this idea of mental imagery, in film? My vision with making THE GUILTY has been to make a suspenseful and character-driven thriller, but more than that to make a film that gives every single audience member a completely unique experience.