This Swedish murder mystery is set at Christmas in a quiet rural town. As it starts Elisabeth, an orphaned girl from Stockholm, arrives to stay with relatives; the vicar, his wife and their young daughter Lotta. On Christmas Eve the keeper of the village store is brutally murdered. Police inspector Christer Wijk is in charge of the investigation. There are plenty of suspects but finding out just who is to blame won't be easy.
I thought this was an enjoyable mystery. The small town family setting reminded me of Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt', even though in that film the identity of the killer isn't a mystery and the plot feels like it could have been taken from Agatha Christie. There are plenty of suspects and motives that should keep the viewer guessing till the end. I must admit the final reveal came as a surprise to me. The cast is solid; some of the acting may seem a little over theatrical at times, at least to modern audiences but that is hardly a problem. There are a few obvious contrivances... twice Lotta gets into danger while looking for her cat. Overall though I found this to be a pretty good film and would recommend it to anybody who enjoys older films and wants a decent mystery.
These comments are based on watching the film in Swedish with English subtitles.
I thought this was an enjoyable mystery. The small town family setting reminded me of Hitchcock's 'Shadow of a Doubt', even though in that film the identity of the killer isn't a mystery and the plot feels like it could have been taken from Agatha Christie. There are plenty of suspects and motives that should keep the viewer guessing till the end. I must admit the final reveal came as a surprise to me. The cast is solid; some of the acting may seem a little over theatrical at times, at least to modern audiences but that is hardly a problem. There are a few obvious contrivances... twice Lotta gets into danger while looking for her cat. Overall though I found this to be a pretty good film and would recommend it to anybody who enjoys older films and wants a decent mystery.
These comments are based on watching the film in Swedish with English subtitles.