The Reel Review
Two decades after she was found abandoned in a Boston cemetery as an infant, wrapped in a blanket covered with Satanic symbols, a young woman travels to Norway to learn about her mysterious parents, in this Scandinavian horror/thriller.
Leave is one of those movies where you wait… and wait… and wait… for something – anything – to happen. But, like the sun during the weeks of polar night, it never appears. In his feature film debut, award-winning music video director Alex Herron at least gives us a nice-looking film with an ominous score, decent acting, a promising sense of dread and the requisite shadowy figure that appears whenever our protagonist is alone at night. But really – that is it, in this frustratingly weak, scare-free film.
As if the dull as dishwater screenplay from Thomas Moldestad (Cold Prey 1 and 2) isn’t bad enough, he gives us a completely confusing and bonkers finalé full of nonsensical moments – and a lame twist – revealing only that this tedious, nearly two-hour film will have viewers quickly wanting to do what the title says. Just do yourself a favor and don’t go there in the first place.
REEL FACTS
• Director Alex Herron is a famous music video director in his native Norway, having produced videos for Kylie Minogue, Avicii and Taio Cruz, including the video for “Higher” (above). Herron splits his time between Oslo and Los Angeles.
• Leave’s star, Alicia von Rittberg (Becoming Elizabeth, Fury) was born in Munich, Germany
• Award-winning Ellen Dorrit Petersen, who plays Black Metal singer Cecilia in Leave, is known for her performances in 2017’s Thelma, 2014’s Blind and 2008’s Iskyss.
Video & Photo
