Troubled Water is a Norwegian movie, directed by Erik Poppe and starring Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Trine Dyrholm, Ellen Dorrit Petersen and Fredrik Grøndahl.

Plot:
As a young man, Jan Thomas (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) kidnapped a boy together with a friend; a boy who ended up dead. Now, he’s being released from prison and, having discovered a musical talent there, starts to work as an organ player in a church in Oslo. He slowly gets back on his feet, falling for the pastor (Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and her son, who reminds him of the boy who died.
At the same time, the Agnes (Trine Dyrholm), the mother of the dead boy, discovers that Jan Thomas is out of prison and her whole life is being threatened by that news.

This is an absolutely fantastic movie. It is beautifully done, with a great cast, a complex story and an interesting narrative structure. And it manages to make organ music cool.

It’s been more than a week since I saw the movie, and I can still feel it working inside of me. I’m not yet done thinking about it – and how often does that happen? The themes of the movie – reconciliation, forgiveness, religion and loneliness, among others – are approached with so much sensitivity and intelligence that it really gives you food for thought.

Poppe is a very talented director. He doesn’t use a linear story, but rather gives us Jan’s story, then jumps backwards and gives us Agnes’ story and then intertwines them both, while having flashbacks to the day of the kidnapping. Yet it never gets confusing or feels forced. Instead, it just adds more layers to the whole thing.

The cast is terrific – and it has to be. I think that somebody not as talented as Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen and Trine Dyrholm would have completely destroyed the entire atmosphere. Both of them pull it off though, and with amazing intensity.

The whole thing is beautifully connected to the music Jan plays. Especially this:

I was never a big fan of the organ as an instrument, but this? This rocked my world.

Around the middle of the movie, I was beginning to fear that it would turn into a religious film. Fortunately, I was wrong. It was more a movie about religion and its impact on different people than a religious movie. And that was only a small part of it.

There is much more that can be said about the film, but you should discover it for yourself and I need to let it stew a little longer, so I’ll stop here.

Summarising: If you can get your hands on it, go and see it. Highly recommended.