Escape

2012 · Norway · 76 min

Director: Roar Uthaug
Producer: Martin Sundland
Cinematography: John Christian Rosenlund

Cast

What it is about

Norway, the fourteenth century. Nineteen-year-old Signe is travelling with her family through a land left dangerous by the Black Death, where the collapse of law has turned the roads into a risky place. A gang of bandits led by Dagmar attacks the group, leaving her alive only to take her prisoner. In their camp she meets Frigg, a young girl Dagmar has adopted, whose kindness towards Signe opens a crack in the group's hardness. What follows is a flight through a hostile forest, where every step may be the last.

How it was made

Filming took place in Sirdal Municipality, Norway. The bandits were originally meant to be surviving followers of the old Æsir religion, but all references to this were cut from the final film. The scene in which the two girls climb across a chasm was shot beside an ordinary road using two-metre rocks, and the chasm was added digitally in post-production. Directed by Roar Uthaug and produced by Martin Sundland, the film is a lean survival thriller, with cinematography by John Christian Rosenlund that makes the most of its natural landscapes.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered at the Slash Film Festival in September 2012 and opened in Norwegian cinemas days later. Variety praised Uthaug's direction as muscular, while DVD Talk highlighted the performances of its two leads, Isabel Christine Andreasen and Ingrid Bolsø Berdal. Other reviewers noted that the story is simple and sometimes strains credibility, though its pace and intensity compensate. It is usually placed within the man-versus-nature subgenre.