Insomnia (1997)

1997 | Norway | Erik Skjoldbjærg | ★★★★

Norwegian film-maker Erik Skjoldbjærg's impeccably crafted Insomnia is a powerful, atmospheric Arctic thriller, featuring memorable visuals and a very strong central performance from its globetrotting Swedish star, Stellan Skarsgård.

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"In Tromsø, in the far north of Norway, a teenage girl is murdered by an unusually meticulous killer, and the local police decide they need expert assistance - but criminal investigator Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) quickly finds that his Swedish accent and unfamiliarity with the territory mark him as an awkward outsider. When a colleague accidentally dies during a shootout in thick fog, Engström uses this as an excuse to start tampering with evidence, a slippery slope whose psychological downside is intensified by the oppressive 24-hour daylight playing havoc with his sleep..." Arrow