Jan Thomas Hansen (Pål Sverre Hagen) is in prison for killing a child during his teens. He is released on parole and finds work as a church organist. He befriends the priest Anna and her young son. His victim's mother Agnes (Trine Dyrholm) accidentally spots him in the church as his troubled past resurfaces to cause chaos.It has a slow plodding pace for most of the movie. The lead is playing the quiet character very close to the vest. It doesn't allow much tension into the first half of the movie. When Agnes is put into the movie, it is a bit of ticking clock for the audience as we wait for the inevitable confrontation. The first half already lays out what is going to happen in much of the second half. Maybe it went one step too far by telling us that the boy goes missing. Nevertheless there is a realism in the performances by both leads. The movie gets much more fascinating with the two characters on the same screen.

What a fantastic movie. I had to watch it more than once.Plenty of reviewers have already given a plot synopsis, so I'll skip that part. I was impressed by all the choices the filmmakers made to add dimension and symbolic heft to this film, right down to the smallest detail.Much has already been said about the role of water as both the giver and taker of life - whether it's a swiftly flowing river or a baptismal fountain. On the eve of his release, Jan even undergoes a violent "baptism" at the hands of his former accomplice and fellow inmates. Something I noticed about the minimal violence in the movie is that none of it is perpetrated by a supposedly dangerous protagonist. Jan is repeatedly shoved, intimidated, slapped, or otherwise attacked by other characters (including an accomplice half his size), but he never initiates any of it, and does his best to walk away. The only thing this "child murderer" voluntarily harms in the course of the film is literally a fly. Which I found very sly on the part of the scriptwriter.What's also made apparent is how easy it is for accidents to happen and people to get hurt, whether it's Jan accidentally banging Jens' head on the heating unit or Agnes knocking down the gentle church warden with her impassioned shove. We are more vulnerable than we like to admit.The church warden himself seems more like a priest than Anna; her self-professed naive faith hasn't been tested by intimate contact with "evil." Quietly watching the proceedings, occasionally prodding Jan to tell the truth, the warden sees all, knows all, and seemingly forgives all. Where can a killer get a second chance if not here? he asks Agnes. I'd like to think that after Jan leaves Anna's flat (and puts on some dry clothes!) he winds up at the church, where he can at least find a little compassion and understanding from this consistently benevolent figure.That reminds me of one of the brilliant little details: teenage Jan is wearing an sweatshirt that says (with hipster irony) "Hold me." But there's really nothing ironic about it. He's a lost boy, all the way through. No one seems to have yet mentioned the religious significance of his name(s). Jan's "alias" for much of the film is his middle name, Thomas - the doubting disciple. His questions to Anna are those of a skeptic who can't believe there could be an order or purpose to suffering and evil. But his first name is that of the favorite disciple. As if Jesus' most dearly beloved were only masquerading as a disaffected critic, waiting to be unmasked. In the end, when Jan asks Anna for forgiveness, one senses that he, in his humbled and shattered condition, is more primed to believe in grace than she is. One other note: I disagree with the harrumphing critic who found the love scene "gratuitous." I found it lovely: two people starved for affection and pleasure giving way to passion after a very restrained and tentative beginning. In this case, too, Anna was the aggressor; it could very well have been Jan's first time.

What goes through a mother's mind when her child is stolen? Is this response different if the mother figure in this scenario is replaced with a convicted child kidnapper and murderer? What place can faith, relationships, and guilt have in the life of this convicted murderer? Troubled Water, a Norwegian film directed by Erik Poppe, delves into these and other thought-provoking questions concerning family dynamics in somewhat unique situations, guilt and reputation, and faith.The film revolves around the dynamic between a mother and wife, Agnes, and the man who was in the past convicted for the murder of her son, Thomas. Throughout the tale we are able to glimpse the relationship between Thomas and Anna, a priest, as well as the family of Agnes. With Thomas and Agnes' relationship, the themes of faith and the importance of reputation is developed. The role of secrets and the importance of opening up about emotions are explored through the marriage between Agnes and Jon. Agnes also has two adopted children, and their family goes through the decision to, and process of, moving to another country for work. All of these dynamics add different layers to the story, as does the non-chronological organization of the film. The film features snippets of flashback to the incident throughout, as well as having parallel structure. Troubled Water starts off with the story of Thomas. There is a brief flashback to the past incident, but not enough is shown to reveal the magnitude of Thomas' actions. This beginning to the story gives the viewer a unique perspective of sympathy with his character. As the story progresses, this sympathy is deepened until the viewers are, at the end of the story when Thomas' guilt is revealed, able to forgive Thomas as Agnes does. This interesting perspective allows for different ways of looking at ideas of guilt and reputation. Agnes' account comes second, an account of her actions in the same few days. This dual perspective put emphasis on the importance of these two characters, as well as their relationship and their effect on each other. This adds to the richness of the tale, clarifies the focus of the story, and continually questions the viewers' perspectives on guilt, the importance of past events, and reputation.The filmmaking also intensifies the complexity of the story. Choppy scenes as quick snapshots bring in many more little aspects to the plot. For example, on short scene depicts Thomas killing a fly during his efforts to open a window for Anna. Anna stops him and tells him that she'd only wanted the window open to free the fly. Little scenes like this add complexity to both the characters and the plot. In this case, Anna's propensity to protect life is showcased, as well as the straightforward thinking of Thomas.The use of color contrasts, dark and light, are used to exaggerate some common themes in the film: guilt/secrets and hope/love. For example, at one point Agnes and Jon are in their car and telling secrets and the lighting is very dark, almost completely black, with brief flashes of light on their faces. I believe this symbolizes how sharing their secrets show brief hope for their relationship. Often in the movie dark colors are employed before flashbacks to sources of guilt, as well. Alternatively, when Thomas plays the organ in the church, his hope and happiness in the moment aren't directly stated yet are implied with bright sunshine-infused camera shots. The effect of this technique is a closer tie to the emotions of the characters.This film tries to address many complex themes, such as faith, music, and paranoia. However, in my opinion the two most developed and interesting themes were those of family dynamics as well as the aftermath of bad situations. The theme of family dynamics is developed through issues of husbands trying to keep their wives' emotions at home (seen at the dinner party with Jon's boss), the effect on a whole family when one member wants to move to another country, and, most importantly, the tie between adults and children they care about and try to protect. The theme of the effects of momentary bad decisions and bad luck is also a common theme. The guilt, tarnished reputations, and psychological impacts of situations like this collectively make up the most developed theme in this film. From the perspective of Thomas, guilt is developed as well as the far-reaching and community-implied importance of maintaining a good reputation. The viewer is forced to feel sympathy for Thomas when Anna discovers his past and yells at him. The film offers a rebuttal to the societal disdain for sullied pasts, seeming to question the extreme importance of past actions and mistakes on the degree to which a person is accepted and viewed in the present. The film does a good job of not being radical on this and other points, yet simply asks questions which broaden the viewer's understanding of certain issues.This highly-layered and inquisitive film is well-made and well-developed, accomplishing its goal of leaving the viewer with a greater understanding of the complexity of all situations. After all, what good is a world that is simply black and white?

"Troubled Water" is a film that encourages viewers to think about truth, forgiveness, and second chances. Jan is seeking to start a new life after he is released from prison for a crime he says he didn't commit, and so he finds a job as an organist in a church. He was imprisoned for the murder of a four-year-old boy, and later on in the film, the viewers meet the family of the boy that died. It isn't until later in the film that the two sides of the story meet and the story becomes clear, so the viewers spend a large part of the film wondering what actually happened to the boy that died. Director Erik Poppe uses flashbacks to show bits and pieces of what happened, but not the full story until later. This method of releasing information little by little can create feelings of suspense, but can also cause confusion and frustration.Poppe often jumps back and forth between parts of a story. It was very common in another of his films, "Hawaii, Oslo" and is prevalent in this film as well. The film starts with Jan's story about starting his new life and seeking a second chance, and then dives in to Agnes's story about what her life has been like after her son died. Jumping around from story to story causes suspense, which can be good, but it also frustrated me. I couldn't believe that Jan would leave Jens on his own with the bike, after everything Jan had been through, going to prison, and now starting his life over again. It seemed to me that Jan was being extremely reckless in that scene, and it frustrated me even more when Poppe didn't show us what happened until much later. This very well could have been his intention, to create suspense, but I found it almost annoying. It makes it difficult to discern the truth."Truth" is also used in a religious sense in the film, when Jan and Anna are discussing religious matters and what they believe in. Jan is trying to find some truth within himself, as far as where he belongs and what his place is in the world. Playing organ for a church seems to have an interesting impact on him, while he begins a new life and is surrounded by Christians. Eventually he joins in and receives Communion. Agnes is also searching for a truth, because she wants to know what really happened and is unwilling to forgive Jan.Forgiveness is something that Jan and Agnes are both struggling with. Jan discusses forgiveness with Anna. Agnes is unwilling to forgive Jan for what he did, partially because she doesn't know exactly what happened, but also because she believes he killed her son, which would be unforgivable. Agnes's husband, Jon, is more willing to move on with life and let it go, and he is able to provide a voice of reason for Agnes, who goes out of control toward the end of the film. It was hard for me to watch the part where Agnes takes Jens away from Jan. At first it seems like she's taking him just to get back at Jan, because she's in a terrible mood and is being rather irrational. It seems to be a classic case of "two wrongs don't make a right". I thought that Agnes was moving too quickly and out of control, and it seemed like she was going to cause more trouble. Eventually it becomes clear that she was trying to protect Jens, in a way, but I think she did more harm than good.Jan is given a second chance to do something good with his life when he is released from prison to go play organ at a church. Although we later find out that he did essentially kill the young boy, the people at the church are willing to let him work there, to give him a second chance. In one scene, Agnes is upset with the church for allowing him to work there. The man from the church says that he is not defending Jan's previous actions, but there is no better place for him to receive a second chance than at the church. Agnes still struggles with what Jan did do her son though, and she won't forgive him or give him a second chance.Erik Poppe encourages viewers to think about their own lives and what is important. He uses truth and forgiveness to encourage thought and reflection. I found "Troubled Water" to be a wonderful catalyst for reflection on my own life, although there were various aspects of the film that I was rather annoyed with, specifically jumping between stories and Agnes's rash action. Nevertheless, Poppe delivered an entertaining and thought-provoking film with a good story to tell.