Insomnia (1997)

Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg

 The film noir genre is known to emphasize shadows and dark imagery and are usually set at nighttime. But in Insomnia the daylight is used just as shadows would be used in a regular noir film. It's a daylight noir that uses light and intense brightness to give us a sense of unease in the story of a detective trying to investigate a murder in a small town up north near the Arctic. There is constant light and that light symbolizes the insomnia and mental breakdown of the detective as he undergoes a downward spiral trying to investigate what should have been a a run-of-the-mill murder investigation.

This is a investigative thriller that does use some of the same things you would expect in movies of this genre, but where it succeeds is its focus on the detective rather than the crime, the victim, or the criminal. It is about the incapacity of the detective to handle himself as he feels guilty and questions his sense of morality after a dangerous decision he makes during the investigation. Unlike the 2002 American remake by Christopher Nolan, there is little sympathy for the lead character, we just watch this descent. While the plot doesn't have much to it, the atmosphere has such an effect that it's all you need to understand and appreciate the film.

Grade: B+