The Invisible (2002) User Reviews

Great film, instantly a favourite

[nermal1 · 7/10 · 18 December 2003]

Being from Australia, not much news of Swedish films reach our shores. I had no idea about this one or the book it is based upon. I simply caught it while flicking the channels one day. It looked interesting, so I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.

I absolutely adored this film. From the outset I found the main actor, Gustaf Skarsgard, very intriguing. I was surprised to find out this was his first major film role, he handled it perfectly. Never over the top, never underwhelming, just right.

I didn't pick the twist up in this film right away. I'm usually quick with those sorts of things, but it just didn't strike me that there would be a twist at all until it actually occurred. The feeling you get when it dawns just drums up the excitement and tempo of the film, when you suddenly realise that yes, there is something at stake here.

I also loved the very unHollywood ending. This film turned all those cliches about - characters you were meant to hate were ones you ended up feeling the most for, and the 'friend' who you usually feel sympathy for ends up doing nothing but drawing out your anger. It's rare that the real villian of a piece (especially a female one) becomes a sort of hero towards the end, and it can be confusing. But for me it worked well, and added real dimension to what would have otherwise just been a good film, not a great one.

The combination of great acting, real emotion and the eventual twist (or two) it what makes this movie so brilliant for me, and an instant favourite. Highly recommended.

Formidably gripping drama-thriller on the verge of death

[stefan-144 · 7/10 · 28 January 2003]

Swedish film generally remains in stating the obvious and sticking to the conventions of the time, but then there are those rare exceptions, reaching an unforeseen level. 'Invisible' is one of those few. A splendid achievement by the team Bergvall and Sandquist in their first full-length movie.

A couple of years ago they got an Academy Awards nomination in the short film category, for 'Victor', also on the grave theme of death. 'Invisible' is based on a novel by the Swedish writer Mats Wahl, a mighty storyteller.

This story is indeed mighty. A high school senior, bound by his mother's high expectations, is beaten up brutally, due to a misunderstanding, by a delinquent girl of his age, and left for dead. When he comes to school the next day, he finds that everybody ignores him, as if he had become invisible. Soon, he realizes that he really is.

This slight ingredient of the paranormal, makes the story rise to a mythical magnitude, and the film makers, as well as the actors, manage to keep it there, to explore the grand perspectives suddenly appearing. Still, the very concrete psychological drama continues, and intensifies.

It all amounts to one formidably gripping experience, not easily forgotten. There are, of course, clear links to 'Sixth Sense' and a number of other movies about the mysterious borderland between life and death, and the necessity for our lives to reach some kind of conclusion, some kind of harmony, before passing on.

If searching for them, one can find some small weaknesses - like the unnecessary presence of a gun, or the inability of the dialogue to deal with those profound existential questions - but that's easily forgotten in the very touching and beautiful whole of the film, and more so after its uncompromising and magnificent ending.

A flawed supernatural mystery thriller with an intriguing hook even if the filmmaking choices leave something to be desired.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 6/10 · 20 October 2023]

Nicklas Erccison (Gustaf Skarsgard) is a soon to be graduating high school student who is pushed by his mother Kerstin (Li Bradhe) into pursuing a career in finance while Nikalas has his sights set on a college in England where he plans on attending without his mother's knowledge as he's been saving money by writing other students assignment papers. When Kerstin learns of Nicklas' decision, it drives a wedge in his plans and he misses his departure engaging in joyless partying that ultimately yields no respite. Meanwhile, Nicklas' best friend Peter (David Hagman) gets in debt to Annelie (Tuva Novotny) a petty crook who runs a small gang in the school. When Annelie's unfaithful boyfriend Marcus (Par Luttropp) informs the police of her activities, Annelie has her thugs bring in Peter whom she assumes to be the informant. With Annelie disbelieving he had nothing to do with it, Peter points to Nicklas as the informant and he is soon beaten and left for dead in the woods. The next morning Nicklas is now invisible to everyone as the entire town and police detective Thomas Larsson (Thomas Hedengran) search for Nicklas as he tries in vain to get the attention of those looking for him.

The Invisible is a 2002 supernatural thriller directed by Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist and loosely adapted by Mick Davis from the 2000 book of the same name by Mats Wahl. Produced in 2002, the film is more notable for serving as the basis for the 2007 Hollywood remake as its international footprint beyond Sweden was largely by production company Sonet Films selling the rights to Spyglass Media. There's a solid enough hook at play in The Invisible, even if it's somewhat at odds with the presentational and design elements on display.

Gustaf Skarsgard is really solid as Nicklas and even in a very pre-fame role before he took off with roles such as Floki in Vikings, you can see he has real stage presence and charisma. Tuva Novotny is no less impressive as Annelie, the co-lead in the story, whose abrasive exterior reveals a level of deep seated anguish and pain as the movie goes on. There's a really strong emotional core at play between Nicklas and Annelie as it serves as a redemption story for Annelie in helping Nicklas ghost find respite. While I like the underlying ideas at play in The Invisible, the way in which they're presented does mean it doesn't fully reach its potential. One of the bigger hurdles is that due to the rules involved in how Nicklas' limbo state works, it essentially means there's not much he can do for almost 50% of the film's running time so he very much drifts along with the plot without being an active character. Eventually we do get more activity from him in a later development in the plot, but you can tell the movie is really struggling with justifying his presence in the story until it absolutely needs him. The presentation of the limbo state is also quite odd as from Nicklas' point of view he can interact with things and there are consequences and reactions, but then they'll reset as if nothing happened and it's a really odd creative decision that only serves to call attention to itself especially when we get a vehicular collision that has not aged gracefully. I will say I did like how bold the ending got in how it wrapped up and it's definitely a factor that makes this a more bold and risky film than its U. S. counterpart.

The Invisible struggles with its high concept premise, but it does work in a solid emotional core and ample opportunity for its lead actors to shine. The movie also elevates itself with a bold ending that earns it considerable goodwill in compensating for its more obvious shortcomings. Definitely worth a look if you're curious about pre-fame Gustaf Skarsgard.

Very solid budget film.

[A_Chimp · 8/10 · 4 August 2008]

I was bored a night several weeks ago, when this movie turned up on a channel when I flicked by. I missed a little bit of the start, but something in it caught my attention. It had something in it worth continuing watching. Maybe it was the "odd" gangster (Tuva Novotny) in her hood? And am I glad I watched it until the end. The story is very beautiful, sad, heartbreaking and emotion-gripping at the same time. It is amazing what the performers and the directors created out of such a small budget.

The most amazing part in the movie for me, was still how cunningly you start having good feelings for the villain. Small, subtle changes and all of a sudden, you feel really sad for the "wrong" character.

All in all, a movie worth watching, even for those of you who don't like subtitles, since you can still feel the characters strongly through their voice tones and body language.

Mediocre - for a Swedish film

[BeneCumb · 5/10 · 18 April 2013]

It could easily have been a youth-related crime drama with the same ideas and elements - but without the invisibility twist. The latter provided no additional value, sometimes made perceptions more complex (e.g. invisibility vs. insensibility, under which conditions etc.) and lead to the fatal, but rather trivial and expected ending. Apart from Gustaf Skarsgård as the protagonist Niklas, I found the other frequent actors not catchy.

If you would like to see a real masterpiece on related topic, I would recommend Ghost (1990) with Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Now you see me, now you don't.

[lost-in-limbo · 8/10 · 4 April 2006]

Niklas who soon will be graduating high school is a talented writer who dreams are truly fulfilled when he's invited to intend a interview in London where his writing aspirations can be realised, but his mum has no idea about. When his mum does finds out, Niklas is torn between either staying or leaving, but he finally goes with the latter. Walking home one night after a party he's set upon by a group thugs from his school, who heavily beat him up and leave him for dead in a ditch. The next morning he goes off to school on his supposedly last day, but what becomes clear is that no one can see him and he slowly learns that he's a ghost who can only watch on, as the authorities try to figure out what happen to him.

Ideas might be running short in Hollywood, but it's not the trend in this Swedish fantasy-drama that's powerfully moving without being overly wretched. Like fellow users have mentioned the strong aspect about this story is how the cards play out, especially that of certain characters. You can't help but feel sorry for those ones you think that you'll hate and vice versa. I've got to take my hat of to the young cast; Gustaf Skarsgard as the very promising Niklas and Tuva Novotny as the hard nosed delinquent Annelie are exceptionally good. The concept behind the story might not be new, but the cleverly defined presentation was definitely refreshing and it did put out many questions that folded out rather intriguingly and lead to some surprising advancements. It does start off like your glum (if basic) teen high school fare where you have your good and bad students, but then it breaks the mould when it heads into its fantasy territory, but still it does keep that raw edge. After the death of Niklas we follow (just like he does when he finds out he can't interfere) the police investigation of his disappearance and we see that of emotional developments; why certain people hide behind images they create and see people learning when its best to let go, which makes the whole experience even more depressingly, down trodden. Stuck in are some brutally violent and arrestingly intense moments that come from nowhere and give the story some biting attitude mixed in rather well with the wholesomely, heart-felt moments. The script is pretty serious with the odd dark joke here or there and a nice couple of surreal moments, but mostly its torn between sprawling out on the harrowing burden that these characters face. The production does feel like a TV movie but these glossy elements are silkily done with great verve in its direction and the films moves along in a rather snappy pace.

A emotionally, touching fantasy-drama that's beautifully implemented with excitingly, different results.

This movie is nothing like Friday the 13th

[ravyn_jensen · 9 February 2004]

**Possible spoiler ahead** I had the opportunity to see this movie at a film festival last summer and I was blown away. This is so far removed from the usual teen horror stuff that is pumped out by major studios that it should never be compared to them. It was amazingly well done & reduced an entire theatre at Fantasia to tears. The acting was great & the ending heartbreaking, it is by far the best movie I've seen in way too long. In fact, I would love nothing more than to find out the DVD will be available in Canada. Definately a strong 9.5 out of 10.

A movie to quickly forget

[bubben2 · 2/10 · 5 February 2002]

Erik is a successful student, who one night is attacked by a gang from school. The next morning, it is like he is being invisible for everyone. He soon realizes that he is dead (I guess he watched "ghost" or something) but sticks around to find out why he was killed and whether the crime will be solved.

Most of the movie after that is about the aftermath of the killing between the people involved. It's rather predictable and slow with no surprises whatsoever. I'll give it 2 out of 10.

A very powerful story of friendship and betrayal....

[highflying_falcon · 10/10 · 28 September 2005]

One feature that can make or break a movie is the director's ability bring the movie to life, while the other is the actors ability to portray the character in order to bring life to the movie.

This story is a mix of both emotion and drama and the greatest quality of any movie is how the director can effectively change the way you may see a character whereby one minute a character can be so hated and despised while the next you may feel a bit of sympathy for them, which in this case is the character Annalie played by Tuva Novotny.

Gustaf Skarsgard who plays Niklas is also another actor that also be respected and admired for his strong performance which really brings out the best in this movie.

This is the first and probably the only Swedish movie I have seen to date and it was a worth while experience, a highly recommended movie that I think everybody should see.

A film that will touch your heart...

[hrmiller · 10/10 · 27 February 2006]

I absolutely adored this movie as well. I was fortunate to see it when it premiered in Chicago at the Siskel Film Centre. I had a chance to see it with subtitles since I am still learning Swedish.

The imagery that this film gives you will leave a lasting impression. It is very graphic but that is the pain, the tears, and anger in the film that gives off the imagery.

The main actors did such a splendid job that I felt that with such a tough storyline that they wouldn't be able to do it but they performed flawlessly. This film is a definitely must see! I managed to get a copy of the DVD but it didn't have English subtitles but actions speak louder than words in this movie. Thus it is a favourite.

Amazingly Intense, Insightful & Provocative

[witty_neil · 10/10 · 3 September 2004]

I've never felt the urge to comment on any film in my life... although this film moved me in a way that doesn't equate in words. What appeared as a simple movie, quickly became a masterpiece of dialogue, emotion and acting that as a teenager echoed deeply. I could relate to its main character and the last 30 mins had me sitting on the edge of my seat and wishing it would be a Hollywood ending!!! Just if wishes could come true!! It might not be a movie for everyone, but for me I can say it will have to be one of the best movies I have ever seen and tomorrow I am going straight into town, to search for the DVD.. I am a fan of the film, a fan of the director and a fan of the actors!! Its rare you find a film that can touch you, but this one did... I just hope someone watches it and agrees with me.. A must see if your a fan of a movie with a bit of brains and a lot of ummphf!!

Can't touch this

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 14 August 2021]

Of course a movie as good as this would spawn a US remake. I have not watched that one yet, but I can attest that this is really well made. Some viewers may have issues because morally speaking there is as lot to digest. Our lead/main character has issues, some self inflicted some laid upon him by others - though he does not deal with them the best way.

He is flawed is what I am trying to say. As is the supposed villain here - but how villainous is she? We even feel for her at times, seeing how she grew up, under what circumstances she lives under. It still is clear that she does things way wrong ... so wrong there may not be an inch of an excuse for her.

But the movie would not be as complex, if it just gave you black and white, right and wrong and however else you like to easily sort things. Things can be explained ... things can understood .. that does not make them one thing or another. As with life (and death) this is way more complex ... and better for it. Suspend your disbelief and be thrilled.

One of the best Swedish movies I have ever seen!!!

[dfh-42 · 10/10 · 24 March 2007]

The girl acting as a villain in this film is incredible. Her performance is powerful in it!! From the beginning of the movie, she is hated by everyone. I hated her, too as I saw her in this film. Toward the end of it, I Couldn't help but crying for her. The cruel surface of the girl covered the sweetest emotion trapped inside. She is lovely at the end!!!! How powerful her performance is!! The actress is Tuva Novotny. I will remember her name and expect her upcoming films in the future. By the way, the leading actor is really great, too. Gustaf Skarsgård is also excellent in Ondskan (evil). Certainly he is one of the most talented Swedish actor nowaday. Anyway Osynlige, Den is really a great movie. Watch this original one and skip the remake.

a new original take on fantasy classic

[lucifershalo · 8/10 · 20 March 2003]

Without revealing too much or nothing at all, let's just say that the theme is a big classic of the fantasy cinema but we are presented here with a completely new twist and it works so wonderfully; with no money the director chose another road and it's amazing; I saw it at the Brussels fantasy film festival and I should have congratulate the director; and to add even more pleasure to the vision of this movie , we don't have a Hollywood-feel-good-everybody is happy ending, thats so good and different!

The best swedish picture ever!!!

[Bejlof · 9/10 · 22 February 2002]

I got to see this film at a the absolute premier..so the directors where there too. They were nominated for an oscar for best short picture in 2001. Now they have made there first long film.

The movie is mostly about a boy named Nicklas. He is a smart man who is just about to go out school. He is being held down by his mother who has her way of his future don. But nicklas wants to go his way..but it's like he's invesable(the name of the film is "the inveceble") but he's about to be totaly invecible. When he gets beat up by the school gangster, a girl, he becomes inviceble. He's stuck in a state between life and death. and he tries to find his body.

This is a VERY good movie..I think it will be oscar nominated next year. The acting is exeptional. The way it's been built, the easy way of showing that he can't affect the world around him is great. If you are not swedish speaking and want to see a very goodmovie(that your friends probably never will see) down load or in some way see it. It's a great movie from start to finish.

(if you've managed all my spelling so far, then you can take the time to see the film)

Incredibly Captivating Film

[dazzaoconnor · 13 September 2004]

The only thing I didn't like about watching this movie was missing the first few minutes!!! I'd found it while I was flicking channels on 03/09/2004 to S.B.S. I HIGHLY recommend this movie for anyone who likes to watch subtitled movies. The film plot is more of a plus. I have tried buying this movie even though I don't have a multi region DVD player- just as long as I can own it- The DVD player can wait. If there is anything I could hope for is that this movie can be made in English so everybody can see it, as long as it is word-for-word and acting is exactly the same. What would be even better is if the actors of the movie learn English and do the movie all over again so it can be sold mainstream internationally. This movie is one of a kind.

Best special effects ever made!

[ino · 9/10 · 4 February 2002]

This film was a complete surprise for me. I expected something nothing like it, rather a normal Swedish film, grey, theatrical dialogue and bad camera, but was I wrong!

This film is something very new in Swedish film. It captures the very best of earlier Swedish films but adds something completely new. Not seen in films from anywhere to tell the truth. A kind of magic that sometimes is a component in real life, but seldomly is captured in films. Of coarse this film also contains a lot that is not to be found in ordinary life, at least not as clear as here...

It touches something seldom seen in films, the very essence of reality and consciousness. What are we? What is reality? Are we really? And why now? For how long? And for what reasons?

Some things is elegantly left out of the pictures, like questions of good and bad, love and hate. The are pictured though, but in a way that needs no further explanation. The film doesn't give any answers, only give rise to many questions...

Thomas Hedengran and Tuva Novotny are doing great things in this picture. Academy award quality stuff. Gustaf Skarsgård is okay to, perfectly adequate actually, but the role does not, and should not, give space for larger performances.

Highly recommended.

First half better than last though...

/ino

Slight plot-revealer contained

[dazzaoconnor · 20 September 2004]

Had to come back another time to give something more of an in-depth comment on the movie instead of sounding like someone who can see no wrong with this movie- so here goes.

There is a lot that I like about this movie such as the insight of character that the actors portray and, if you haven't seen it and are going to, you will understand me then.

I also like how the director has given a new vision into what may be when someone goes into a comatose condition- adding to the fantasy aspect of the movie. Within this is added to the humour, surrealism and drama- when Nicklas tries to commit suicide as a ghost only to realize that he hasn't been able to pick up the shotgun or when he gets run over by a truck only to realize that nothing has happened (surrealistic humour); when he throws Annelie off the building only to realize that he couldn't possibly touch her and when he finds his own decaying body after a few days of him missing (surrealistic drama) complete with flies buzzing around beginning to feed and nest.

The movie shows an exaggeration of nonconstructive high-school relations, but presents it very well- enough to have the audience sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the next move.

The movie has an ending that catches the audience somewhat off-guard and is enough to leave them in tears- very effective.

But, even though I am now a fan of this movie, it would have been GREAT to see Gustaf Skarsgård (Nicklas) either naked by himself or showering with another cute guy (the only bad thing about the movie). ;)

Overall, this is an exceptional Swedish film that just goes to show that every once in a while, movies from other countries can actually OUTSHINE their American counterparts.