When a film opens with a young black man screaming “I can’t breathe” whilst a police officer presses his knee against the man’s neck, it’s pretty much laying all of its political cards out on the table. But – more than that – writing and directing duo Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm – offer up a stylish, bloody and frantic insight into ongoing racial tensions in modern-day Denmark.
The title of the movie comes from an Arabic word for police and, certainly, all of those stopped and subjected to an undignified stop and search procedure appear to be immigrants, intimating that systemic racism is almost in-built in the Danish police.
The plot is fairly straightforward yet well executed. Following the violent arrest (and subsequent death) of Talib Ben Hassi (Jack Pederson), officers Jens (Simon Sears) and Mike (Jacob Lohmann) find themselves facing off increasingly angry crowds inside the tower block “ghetto” of Svalegården, where angry, vengeful violence is the order of the day.
The film pits Jens and Mike against each other from the outset – Jens seemingly the more professional and politically correct of the two, whilst Mike is openly racist and all too ready with his fists. But this is no “they must learn to work together” type of buddy copy movie. The colleagues are just desperate to escape the tower blocks with their lives, particularly as they now have arrestee Amos (Tarek Zayat) in tow.
Sears and Lohmann give absolutely brilliant central performances. They play off each other incredibly well without succumbing to tired cop movie tropes. The tension between them – and their shared fear and desperation – escalates neatly throughout.
Tarek Zayat gives a really nuanced performance as Amos, a troubled teen who simply needs to be returned to the path he was once on. As his mother notes, “If you’re always treated like something you’re not, you end up believing it.” His character, in particular, goes through an interesting arc.
The cinematography is excellent throughout. There is sparing use of “shaky cam” – just enough to build the tension properly as the three characters duck and weave their way through the labyrinthine layout of the tower blocks. The tight close-ups used on their faces will leave you holding your breath with the characters as danger seems to lurk around every corner.
The escalating violence is equally thrilling. What starts off someone throwing a milkshake soon becomes a fistfight, which soon becomes the setting off of an angry Rottweiler, which soon becomes a gun to the head. The final moments, in particular, are really quite shocking.
The film gives off very strong La Haine vibes at times, and both Hviid and Ølholm state in the Q&A sessions afterward that they initially wanted to shoot the movie in black and white.
For a directorial debut, Shorta is incredibly impressive. It’s a film that is aware of both current events and cinematic stylings, combining them both effortlessly. The combination of strong central performances and thrilling action will leave you on the edge of your seat – and really make you think about the prejudices we hold and the lives we can potentially shape for the better.
Shorta is screening at the Glasgow Film Festival until March 3 and is one of six films up for the Audience Award. Get your tickets by clicking here.
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