The Wave – Bolgen (2015)

Directed by: Roar Uthaug | 104 minutes | action, drama, thriller | Actors: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Edith Haagenrud-Sande, Fridtjov Såheim, Laila Goody, Arthur Berning, Herman Bernhoft, Eili Harboe, Silje Breivik, Håkon Moe, Tyra Holmen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Mette Agnete Horn, Lado Hadzic, Tom Larsen

‘The Wave’ (‘Bølgen’) is a Norwegian action thriller, a natural disaster film in the vein of ‘The Impossible’, ‘Dantes Peak’ and ‘Twister’. If you’re familiar with these kinds of movies, the makers of ‘The Wave’ don’t have much news in store for you. However, that doesn’t mean you should skip this movie right away.

The Geirangerfjord in Norway is one of the world’s most beautiful places. The beautiful blue water is surrounded by steep mountains, with waterfalls and breathtaking cliffs. This is the seemingly idyllic setting for the film. Main protagonist Kristian Eikjord lives in Geiranger, he is married to Idun and father of two children, Julia and Sondre, but above all he is a scientist at the geological bureau in his village that closely monitors the changes in the mountains. It would not be the first time that a tsunami has been caused by a landslide. Similar disasters have claimed the lives of dozens of people in the past. Despite his love for his craft, Kristian has succumbed to a new job in the big city, and so he and his family have to leave their lovely home overlooking the Geirangerfjord. ‘The Wave’ begins as Kristian is about to say goodbye to his colleagues.

But of course, on that day, a deviating observation took place: the groundwater in two places has fallen sharply. Initially, Kristian is the only one who will ring alarm bells. His colleagues are sorry that he is leaving, but note that it is nice that they no longer have to triple check everything. However, control freak Kristian can’t let go of his task and before he gets on the ferry with the children, he turns back to his old employer. He tries to convince his boss that he is right – there is something wrong with the groundwater, but with the sensors – and they go by helicopter to investigate. The two children, left in the car by their father, have now contacted Mom, who is on her last shifts at the only tourist hotel in Geiranger. When the field investigation shows that Kristian is right, his boss still refuses to sound the alarm due to insufficient evidence. Based on these measurements, they can’t just ruin the tourist season. Kristian does convince his boss that there is now 24-hour control and that two employees are staying on site.

But then the night comes: Kristian and his young daughter spend another night in the empty house and teenage son Sondre stays at the hotel where Idun works. Kristian’s ex-colleagues at the station make a grisly discovery and that’s the beginning of the real action movie.

The scenario of ‘The Wave’ contains many practicalities: the scientist who is not believed, the wife who works at a hotel, the young daughter who is dependent on her parents and the older son who is just at the stage where he his parents… Many actions in the scenario also refer to things to come. If you see Kristian hesitating just a second too long before throwing work-related folders into the container, you just know he’ll need them later. Those elements make ‘The Wave’ just a bit too predictable, but in fact that can’t be otherwise with a film like this.

Still, there’s plenty to enjoy. The pace is good, the actors are good in their roles and the setting is spectacular. The special effects are quite decent and the tension – especially towards the end – is nail-biting. And if you read afterwards that the mountain of Åkerneset is in reality continuously monitored, because it is almost certain that there will come a moment when it will shift, that makes the film just a bit more urgent.