Insomnia (1997)

Edgy police thriller set in Norway and the original version of this title. A police detective (Stellan Skarsgard) is flown in from Sweeden to a small rural town in Norway to help solve the murder of a teenage schoolgirl. In pursuit of the suspect in deep fog, his partner is shot and the accident leads the murderer to blackmail the detective. Due to the Midnight Sun and the stress of the situation he finds himself in, the detective suffers from insomnia which impacts on his judgement in dealing with his partner’s death. Tense and brooding the film questions the role of police as the enforcers of the law when they themselves are not above its constructs. Co-written and directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg this is a compelling first-time feature. Cast includes Sverre Anker Ousdal, Bjorn Floberg, Gisken Armand, Maria Bonnevie.