Evil Rising: AKA Sauna. A Review

31st October, 2013.

You realise it’s Halloween, don’t you … ?

I hope so: today’s Halloween themed Teaser would’ve been a complete waste of time if it wasn’t …!

Actually … ?

The same could have been said about my sudden desire to rent a film from iTunes, tonight.

It HAS to be said, I was in the mood for something … 

Well, if not horrific, then certainly something grim.

I think I can say I found that, alright.

The Antti-Jussi Annila directed piece that, in assorted different territories, is Sauna.   Or Filth.

Or, possibly more portentously than it deserves, Evil Rising.

Hmmm … 

Let’s see if we can chew this one through, shall we?

~≈Î≈~

Set in 1595, Evil Rising sees Ville Virtanen and Tomi Eronen as brothers, Eerik and Knut: a pair who’ve been assigned to a small group commissioned to map — and thus settle — the borders between Sweden and Russia, in the wake of an especially bloody war.

The brothers are cynical about their Russian colleagues: and have mixed feelings about the war they’ve lived through.   Eerik, the elder brother, relatively hard-nosed about the things he, as a cavalry leader has done: and Knut, his bookish younger brother, feeling a mixture of regret and self-loathing.

Things only get worse for the brothers, as the pair of them steal food from a farmer and his daughter: killing the farmer, and locking the daughter in a storage cellar, after Knut has raped her.

As they go on, though … ?

As they go on, Knut comes to believe that the group is being followed by the vengeful spirit of the dead young woman.

It’s only when they come to a small Finnish-occupied village in the middle of a swamp, RIGHT in the middle of the most disputed part of the border that things get worse.

Right on the borders of the village, of course … 

Is the traditional sauna.

Traditional … and very creepy looking, sauna … 

You can tell that doorway’s going to be important, can’t you … ?

~≈Î≈~

Now … 

Is Evil Rising a good film … ?   

I’d say so.   Granted, sub-titled films aren’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea*.

But, if I can be frank, here … ?   Evil Rising actually left me thinking that I should sit down one night, and watch it, again.   It genuinely seems to have more to offer: and more that I, in my ignorance of the parts of Europe involved, wouldn’t have spotted first time around.

It had me thinking that my ignorance of those parts of the world is something I should correct … 

And use to enrich my pleasure at this film.

Just a thought …

Evil Rising.

★★★☆

*      Bit of a nod, there, to @mimuluxArt, who does like a cuppa, first thing in the morning, along side the Teaser … !