Alena (Daniel di Grado, 2015): Sweden

Reviewed by Anna Acuna. Viewed at the 2016 Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Alena, directed by Daniel di Grado in Sweden, was a Carrie-esque horror film that could become a classic, even by American standards. Based on a graphic novel written by Kim W. Andersonn, the film explores modern themes of bullying, mental health, rape, and sexuality with horrific clarity that leave the audience at their wit’s end. Alena is played by Amalia Bjelke, whose understated beauty, soft tone of voice, and unique facial structure make her a perfect leading lady and person to play the role of the victim (for most of the film). Alena premiered at the Stockholm International Film Festival this year.

Alena’s eyebrow-less, literal schoolgirl innocence is exacerbated by the bullies who decide to torment her at her new private prep school. Unknown to them, Alena has a dark force on her side: her terrifying dead ex-girlfriend. The ex, Josefin, played by Rebecka Nyman, is a dark, hooded figure who is frequently seen in the film skulking around in the shadows. While Alena is being bullied by the popular athletic girls for being a dark-haired, scholarship-given outcast, Josefin is always there watching. There is only one anti-normative girl who befriends Alena, named Fabienne, played by the wonderful Felice Jankell. When the bullies take it to far, Josefin is there to retaliate and make up for Alena’s apparent weakness.

Shot in a real boarding school, the vacant hallways and ambient noises create the perfect backdrop for the creepiness. Coupling this with many of the scenes taking place on dimly lit wooded pathways, with the creepy ex-girlfriend lurking in the bushes, the overall effect of the mise en scene is unsettling. The film is full of tension building, with less of a “jump out of your seat” kind of scare, spare for a few moments. The music, and closeups on the leading lady’s pale, vaguely alien face help to build the emotional turmoil that piles up throughout the film until the final bloodletting in the end. Cleverly placed dream sequences and flashbacks also take place, giving a surreal quality to the very real themes that take place.

The film could be classified as a lesbian film based on the relationships that take place. This gives a deeper context to why Alena is being considered an outcast and being bullied, and allows the audience to have more empathy for her because it is a tangible situation. We also see the effect that Alena’s ex-girlfriend has on her mental health, and the film explores these issues in a way that gives a lot of substance to the plot. The themes of obsession and teenage love are a staple for a teen film of this sort, but the very modern difference is that Alena allows these issues to cross gender and sexual preference boundaries. Alena also provides a platform for advocation against bullying and rape, but in an entertaining and almost hidden context. Alena was a piece of art that deserves recognition for crossing genre boundaries and mashing up some very interesting themes in a substantial way, while keeping the surrealistic horror movie aesthetic alive. Bravo to Daniel di Grado.