04 April, 2011

WI Film Fest 2011: The Troll Hunter





My only reservation in going to see The Troll Hunter on Friday night was that the camera would never be still thusly recreating the annoyance that plagued The Blair Witch Project. Luckily director André Øvredal and his cinematographer Hallvard Bræin kept the camera from getting too wobbly. But like Blair Witch, The Troll Hunter is a found footage movie.

The footage, which supposedly came on two hard drives obtained by the filmmakers, was shot by three students - Kalle, Thomas, and Johanna - who are following a man believed to be poaching bear. The trio try to speak with him on camera but he rebuffs their. Much of the opening is the investigators following the enigmatic man, whom we learn is named Hans, as he drives his off-road vehicle towing a camper from campground to campground. The students learn that Hans mysteriously sets out each night only to return hours later. On one such occasion Thomas and friends decide to follow him.

They tail Hans and follow him down an old country lane but lose him. Eventually they park their car and head out on foot where they stumble upon Hans' truck. It is pitch black out as they wander into the forest. A massive roar emerges from beyond a hill in the distance as does a bright light. Everyone is confused and the camera struggles to focus on movement in the distance. Suddenly Hans appears. He barrels towards the camera and yells "Troll!"

It turns out that Hans is the lone game warden for the Troll Security Service and he is tasked with killing any trolls that wander out of deep of the forests into more inhabited areas. He is getting older and disenchanted with his job so he allows the students to follow him around and get a glimpse of things that the Norwegian government endeavors to keep hidden.

Hans takes them on various treks to seek out trolls which come in a variety of sizes and number of heads. He admonishes his new followers to douse themselves in troll scent so as not to betray their presence. In addition to wandering the forests, they also investigate an abandoned mine shaft and reenact the Three Billy Goats Gruff fairy tale. This latter scene was highly amusing with Hans dressing in some Gilliam-esque padded armor before luring a troll out from underneath a bridge with some goats.

While the hunting scenes are scary, the movie as a whole is rather light-hearted. There's its send-up of conspiracy theories and the whole scientific background we are given. Besides field work, we meet a vet who explains troll physiology for us including why sunlight will make then either turn to stone or explode. Hans' deadpan delivery adds a certain droll humor to the proceedings as he maintains his yeoman work ethic in the face of being basically all that stands between civilization and deadly mythical creatures. Plus there's the odd sight gag such as the mega-hypodermic needle that he uses to draw blood samples and shots of Johanna, the boom operator, looking terrified which allude to those of Blair Witch without all the nostril.

The Troll Hunter was a hoot and the perfect way to spend a Friday night. Hopefully it will return to Madison as it gets wider distribution.

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