The Guilty

A minimalist drama almost exclusively centred around its main character, whom the viewer can’t take their eyes off for an hour and a half, and through whom all the storyline and dialogues of the secondary roles are conveyed. The story is based solely on the dialogues uttered by the main character via a telephone line, and entirely stands as such – no blood, no action, no effects (I can imagine how fast this film pays for itself). I definitely value the concept. However I can’t appreciate the film fully, the storyline suffering from some illogical gaps, and not a single reheated filmic cliché is left out in the final part. Still, I admire the creators for being able, once again, to come up with a project that follows the rule ‘a lot of bang for the buck’. [KVIFF 2018] (06/07/2018)

If someone told me before watching The Guilty that all it takes is one room, one man, and a telephone to create a riveting film, I would have been significantly skeptical. Nevertheless, it works. Thanks to a clever screenplay and a focused and absolutely natural Jakob Cedergren in the role of a police officer, you will witness a minimalist film that has the ability to emotionally shatter you into pieces. The Guilty is an inconspicuous and intimate piece that can easily go unnoticed in the flood of big-budget, visually spectacular action movies, which would be a shame. Therefore, I recommend listening carefully to the voice of a man who can discern, amidst a series of annoying and unnecessary phone calls, the one that leads to a cruel revelation and, with its darkness and hopelessness, breaks free from the routine of emergency hotline workers. Overall impression: 95%. (03/08/2018)

A beautiful, unintentional slap in the face of our current filmmakers, who whine all the time that they don't have the money to make films and when they do get it and make something, it's mostly crap. Here's proof that it's not about money – all you need is an idea, a vision and a skilled craftsman. The almost 90 minutes feel like 10, it has tension, it has an unexpected twist in the second act or so; simply, as I've been convinced lately, the Danes are on fire! (14/02/2019)

Radio drama of the year 2018. Nicely civil in a “Lindholm" way. At the same time, however, it is true that precisely because of civility, all the twists and turns on which it sadly relies too much are from the very beginning quite obvious. And, unfortunately, this includes the occasional logical lapses that break down the civility. But again, it doesn't matter that much, because it will soon take on such a captivating pace that there's still no time to deal with them. (27/12/2018)

When an entire movie is based on one guy, you need to like him – one way or another. I had pretty mixed feelings about him, though. While I thought he gave a good and believable performance as an actor, I was incredibly annoyed by his superiority and his treatment of his colleagues and the people on the other side of the line. It was quite distracting and as a result I was only interested in what was happening where we couldn't see it. You could say this film is about a single moment in time. And that worked for me. But then it sort of awkwardly fell apart, and suddenly it was over, and that just wasn't enough for me. A weaker 4 stars (03/11/2021)