Mortal
2020 · Norway · 104 min
- Director
- André Øvredal
- Music
- Marcus Paus
- Cinematography
- Roman Osin
- Editing
- Patrick Larsgaard
Cast
What it is about
Somewhere in the Norwegian wilderness, Eric wakes from a nightmare to find the trees outside his tent reduced to ash. With badly burned legs, he makes his way to a nearby town looking for bandages, and on the road he runs into a group of teenagers who begin to harass him. Soon the local police pick him up and hand him over to Christine, a young psychologist trying to understand who he really is. Eric is both American and Norwegian, carries the suspicion of an unsolved fire, and has only just begun a search for his family.
How it was made
Directed and co-written by André Øvredal, the film draws on Norse mythology and received support from a grant by the Government of Norway. The dialogue moves between English and Norwegian, and most of the cast is Norwegian, the exceptions being Nat Wolff and Priyanka Bose. Marcus Paus composed the score, Roman Osin shot the film and Patrick Larsgaard edited it. The production budget was about 7.4 million dollars.
Reception and legacy
The film opened in Norway on 28 February 2020 through Nordisk Films, followed by the United Kingdom on 20 August and the United States on 10 November. Critics gave it mixed to largely negative reviews, with a Metacritic score of 20 out of 100 based on five critics. Its worldwide box office was modest, around 126,000 dollars. Paus's score fared better, earning a nomination for the Amanda Award and serving as Norway's entry for the Nordic Film Music Days – HARPA Award. Its place in the history of Nordic fantasy cinema remains, for now, limited.
Stills
Trivia
Bilingual dialogue
The film alternates between English and Norwegian in its dialogue. Nearly the whole cast is Norwegian, except for Nat Wolff and Priyanka Bose.
Score recognition
Marcus Paus's score was nominated for the Amanda Award and was Norway's nominee for the Nordic Film Music Days – HARPA Award.
More films by André Øvredal
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Trollhunter
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
The Last Voyage of the DemeterOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.