Thelma (2017)
86%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 52 nominations total
Thelma plays with genre tropes in unexpected ways, delivering a thoughtfully twisty supernatural thriller with a lingering impact
Thelma is like a Nordic Noir superhero movie, but with less capes and more existential dread. It’s a coming-of-age story that’s equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking, with a narrative that treads the line between psychological and supernatural. The scary moments take patience, but they’re worth it when they take you by surprise. Overall, Thelma is a high-art reflection on finding yourself, even if it’s different from who you thought you were. Just don’t expect any Avengers-style action scenes.
Production Company(ies)
Zazen Produções
Distributor
The Orchard
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Courthouse Towers, Arches National Park, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language, and for some violence and sensuality
Year of Release
1991
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States, Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 10, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 16, 2018
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Grethe Eltervåg, Ingrid Giæver, directed by Joachim Trier, written by Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kambole Campbell, Peter Keough, Barbara VanDenburgh, Josh Kupecki, Ann Hornaday, Moira MacDonald, Ben Turner, Nathan Mattise, Stephanie Crawford, Katie Hogan, Aly Caviness, Joey Keogh, LGBTQ representation, supernatural abilities, college student, seizures, Oslo, Norway, coming-of-age story, The Orchard, MPAA rating, Thomas Robsahm, Norwegian
Worldwide gross: $45,457,532
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $100,342,552
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,020
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,942,481
US/Canada gross: $45,360,915
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $100,129,280
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 750
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,101,297
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,467,949
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 844
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $16,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,421,953
Production budget ranking: 1,030
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,613,222
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $44,307,377
ROI to date (est.): 79%
ROI ranking: 1,013
Kaya Wilkins – Anja
Henrik Rafaelsen – Trond
Ellen Dorrit Petersen – Unni
Grethe Eltervåg – Thelma, 6 Years Old
Ingrid Giæver – Julie
Director(s)
Joachim Trier
Writer(s)
Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Producer(s)
Thomas Robsahm
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
25 wins & 52 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (150) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (138) | Rotten (12)
Thelma is visually and sonically impressive, with images that linger in the mind long after the film has ended, but a superfluous narrative detour strips the film of any uniqueness.
August 25, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Kambole Campbell
One Room With A View
TOP CRITIC
The scary moments are there, but they take patience. And then they take you by surprise.
January 18, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Peter Keough
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
“Thelma” treads the line between the psychological and supernatural, gracefully at first, and then with increasing abandon.
December 7, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/5
Barbara VanDenburgh
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Thelma is a beautiful and heartbreaking film that is an impressive addition to the coming-of-age story. A lady bird, indeed.
November 30, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/5
Josh Kupecki
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
As a hushed, haunting portrait of a young woman reconciling daughterly duty and her own incipient power, “Thelma” feels like a stylish, timely allegory for the present moment.
November 30, 2017 | Rating: 3/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
It’s chilly in Oslo, and in this movie; the better to sneak up on you quietly, like an unexpected shiver.
November 30, 2017 | Rating: 3/4
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Just as Let The Right One In gave the vampire genre a Nordic Noir makeover, Thelma has done the same with the superhero genre, but with much less success.
September 2, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Ben Turner
The Pink Lens
Thelma is ultimately a high-art reflection on finding who you are even if it’s different from who you thought.
July 28, 2021
Nathan Mattise
Ars Technica
Thelma mirrors life: It’s beautiful, mysterious, painful and confusing.
July 15, 2020
Stephanie Crawford
The Screamcast
Thelma’s story plays out beautifully, even through the pain and sorrow.
February 4, 2020
Katie Hogan
VultureHound
An intense treatise on loneliness, repression, and control.
December 6, 2019
Aly Caviness
Midwest Film Journal
Thelma is the kind of brooding, emotionally-charged movie that demands your full attention at all times.
October 9, 2019
Joey Keogh
Vague Visages…
Plot
Louise is working in a diner as a waitress and has some problems with her boyfriend Jimmy, who, as a musician, is always on the road. Thelma is married to Darryl who likes his wife to stay quiet in the kitchen so that he can watch football on TV. One day they decide to break out of their normal life and jump in the car and hit the road. Their journey, however, turns into a flight when Louise kills a man who threatens to rape Thelma. They decide to go to Mexico, but soon they are hunted by American police.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy, funny, or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Thelma.
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