The crows are not what they seem.In my time waiting to watch Sentimental Value, I thought I should check out some of Joachim Trier's pre-Worst Person in the World filmography. Thelma stood out to me as something to watch because it seemed so different from The Worst Person in the World, and I'm glad I watched it. There is so much I loved about this movie. Eili Harboe, as the central character, was excellent, demonstrating hidden urges, confusion, and trauma extremely well. Thelma was very watchable and relatable, making it easy to empathize with her even if some of her uncontrollable actions could overshadow our empathy. The direction is very atmospheric, building tension while also incorporating great editing that brilliantly implies Thelma's psychic powers. This was also a great movie to watch, with its glorious color temperature being irresistible. Picking this movie apart was enjoyable, as it allowed me to analyze how religion can compel us to suppress our genuine desires, which would ultimately bring us happiness. I can see myself enjoying this more on a rewatch because, while it was fun to analyze, parts of this movie seemed to drag on for me, and while the setup for Thelma and Anja's relationship was good, it did overtake parts of the plot and made me wish the movie were a little shorter. Despite that, this is a really good movie, and I'm excited to check out more from Joachim Trier.

The crows are not what they seem.In my time waiting to watch Sentimental Value, I thought I should check out some of Joachim Trier's pre-Worst Person in the World filmography. Thelma stood out to me as something to watch because it seemed so different from The Worst Person in the World, and I'm glad I watched it. There is so much I loved about this movie. Eili Harboe, as the central character, was excellent, demonstrating hidden urges, confusion, and trauma extremely well. Thelma was very watchable and relatable, making it easy to empathize with her even if some of her uncontrollable actions could overshadow our empathy. The direction is very atmospheric, building tension while also incorporating great editing that brilliantly implies Thelma's psychic powers. This was also a great movie to watch, with its glorious color temperature being irresistible. Picking this movie apart was enjoyable, as it allowed me to analyze how religion can compel us to suppress our genuine desires, which would ultimately bring us happiness. I can see myself enjoying this more on a rewatch because, while it was fun to analyze, parts of this movie seemed to drag on for me, and while the setup for Thelma and Anja's relationship was good, it did overtake parts of the plot and made me wish the movie were a little shorter. Despite that, this is a really good movie, and I'm excited to check out more from Joachim Trier.