Den osynlige
Den osynlige (The Invisible) is a 2002 Swedish film directed by Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist, and based on Mats Wahl's book of the same name. The film follows Niklas, a young and quiet man who falls short of his mother's expectations, and then finds himself attacked by a neglected young girl Annelie (she too, is metaphorically invisible) and left for dead. The movie is not true to the novel and was condemned by the author. The films stars Gustaf Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny and Thomas Hedengran in the leads.
An American remake was released on April 27, 2007 under the translated title The Invisible.
Plot
Niklas (Gustaf Skarsgård) is a poet who wants to go to a school to exploit his talents, while his mum wants him to follow his family's footsteps and become something completely different from his dreams. He plans his escape and buys a ticket out of town to go to a special school in England, which he's been saving up for by writing papers for students in the school.
His best friend is getting picked on by the school bully, Annelie (Tuva Novotny), a rather violent young girl who is often neglected. She gets caught stealing and comes to believe that Niklas snitched on her. Her gang beats up the friend of Niklas' until he lies and says that it was Niklas that told everyone, thinking that Niklas has indeed gone to England. The problem is that Niklas did not do this. The gang tracks down Niklas and nearly beats him to death and then they flee. The next morning Niklas walks out of the forest without a scratch on his body and seems a little unnerved. When he gets to school, everyone is ignoring him and he can't figure out why. He realizes that he is indeed, invisible, after he throws a book at the wall, and the book stays in its original spot. He can touch things, move things, but the second he looks back, the object is back in place. The twist occurs when a bird dies by flying into a window, and Niklas recognizes that he is still alive, but dying in the woods. Annelie finds out that it was actually her boyfriend who snitched on her because she didn't want to give him his part of the stolen things.
Niklas is left helpless as he watches his mother and the police hunt for his body. His friend commits suicide over the event and leaves a letter for his parents and the police, who eventually find his body, which by this stage, is lifeless and on the very edge of death. The film ends with Annelie admitting to the crime, turning herself over to the police and turning off Niklas' life support so that both are free.
External links
- Den osynlige at the Internet Movie Database
- Den osynlige at the Swedish Film Institute Database
- Den osynlige at AllMovie