Dawning

Extreme arthouse and elevated grindhouse are terms that can be equally applied to Patrik Syversen’s breathtaking exercise in the possibilities of cinema, a SpectreVision (Mandy) co-production. We begin in Ingmar Bergman territory, with sisters Cecilie and Esther gathering to support younger sibling Kristine (Kathrine Thorborg Johansen) following her second suicide attempt. Penetrating psychological drama is slowly infused with menace and almost unbearable dread when news of their mother’s sudden death arrives, and the sisters’ solitude is shattered. Filmed in monochrome, with pointed excursions into glorious 16mm colour, Syversen’s meticulously arranged and genre-defying tale is as poignant as it is terrifying.