Solstorm (2007)

Solstorm Poster

While in a party promoted by her chief and friend Måns Wenngren, the fiscal attorney, Rebecka Martinsson, receives a call from her former sister-in-law, Sanna Strandgård, telling that her brother and preacher Viktor was murdered, stabbed and with severed hands, and she would be arrested. Rebecka heads to her hometown Kiruna and defends Sanna, but the evidences found by the police in her house prove her guilty and she is arrested. While investigating the crime, Rebecka is haunted by her past and faces the bigoted and fanatic religious dwellers that worship the local church, and is more convinced of the innocence of Sanna.

Introduction
The 2007 film "Solstorm" is a Swedish crime movie based upon Åsa Larsson's award-winning book of the exact same name. Directed by Leif Lindblom and composed by Torgny Lindgren, the movie stars Izabella Scorupco as Rebecka Martinsson and Mikael Persbrandt as Inspector Anna-Maria Mella.

Main Plot
In "Solstorm", Rebecka Martinsson, an effective tax attorney in Stockholm, returns to her little home town in Kiruna, northern Sweden, after getting a traumatic call from her childhood buddy Sanna. Sanna's sibling Viktor Strandgärd, a prominent and well-loved church leader, is found brutally killed in a chilling style. With Sanna being the prime suspect, a troubled Rebecka plunges herself into the case to assist her good friend.

Examination and Character Development
The film depicts an engaging and complex examination. Alongside Rebecka, regional police inspector Anna-Maria Mella, who is greatly pregnant, also probes into the case. Throughout the investigation, Rebecka confronts her own terrible past and the extremely secretive environment of the close-knit community, while Mella fights bias in the work environment due to her pregnancy.

As the examination advances in the bleak snowy landscape, it exposes a spiritual cult led by Viktor, underpinned by controlling behaviour and misogyny. The separated relationship in between Viktor, Sanna, and their mystical mom revisits and includes depth to their disrupted household dynamics.

Climax and Conclusion
Rebecka and Mella look into a complex web of deceit and hidden agendas in the tight-knit community, focused around the charismatic yet misdirected Viktor Strandgärd. The movie's rate accelerates towards its climax, revealing that Sanna, a victim of lifelong manipulation and control by Viktor, killed her bro. Rebecka, who was likewise controlled by Sanna, faces a severe emotional injury.

In an unanticipated twist, Rebecka's love interest, policeman Krister Eriksson, is stabbed in an effort to silence him from exposing the reality. This occasion leaves Rebecka mentally scarred, questioning her life choices and leading her to decide to stay in Kiruna, leaving her city life behind.

Cinematic Perspectives
"Solstorm" is an engrossing film that combines engaging storytelling with climatic cinematography. It portrays Sweden's spectacular landscapes, providing a plain contrast to the gruesome criminal activities and dark secrets hidden underneath the surface. The well-written characters, led by Scorupco's stellar efficiency as Rebecka, contribute to an engaging story powered by human feelings, local color, and remarkable tension.

Last Thoughts
Solstorm is a gripping representation of Larsson's original criminal offense book. Besides being a murder mystery, it looks into styles of domestic violence, gender inequality, religious fanaticism and individual redemption. These layers include intricacy to the story, making it more than just a crime thriller. With an unpredictable climax and a poignant ending, Solstorm welcomes audiences to reflect on the condition of marginalized ladies in society and how previous traumas can affect one's future.

Top Cast

  • Izabella Scorupco (small)
    Izabella Scorupco
    Rebecka Martinsson
  • Mikael Persbrandt (small)
    Mikael Persbrandt
    Tomas Söderberg
  • Jakob Eklund (small)
    Jakob Eklund
    Måns Wenngren
  • Krister Henriksson (small)
    Krister Henriksson
    Olof Strandgård
  • Suzanne Reuter (small)
    Suzanne Reuter
    Kristina Strandgård
  • Lena B. Eriksson
    Anna Maria Mella
  • Maria Sundbom Lörelius
    Sanna Strandgård
  • Antti Reini (small)
    Antti Reini
    Vesa
  • Henrik Gustafsson
    Curt Bäckström
  • André Sjöberg (small)
    André Sjöberg
    Viktor Strandgård
  • Göran Forsmark (small)
    Göran Forsmark
    Sven Erik Stålnacke