Film: ‘Gräns (Border)’

Directed by Ali Abbasi

It is a safe assumption to say you have never seen a film quite like Border. Tina (Eva Melander) is a customs officer who has the keen ability to literally smell guilt, fear, and fury seeping off of some travelers. When she encounters a mysterious man with a smell that confounds her detection, she is forced to confront hugely disturbing insights about herself and humankind. The film is adapted by Danish-Iranian director Ali Abbassi from a short story by author John Ajvide Lindqvist, who also created the lonely vampire classic Let the Right One In. Blending supernatural folklore and contemporary social issues, the film explores themes of tribalism, racism, and fear of the “other.” The film has been referred to as a genre-bending cross between an X-Men film and a Nordic noir crime drama. In Swedish with English subtitles. Contains mature content, including graphic nudity, sexual violence, strong language, and violent imagery.