Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival 2024: Elsa (2024)
Recently screened at the Oscar qualifying Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival, this Norwegian short which takes place against the backdrop of World War II and the reign of terror carried out by the Nazis follows the titular character, a local teacher Elsa who is involved in a physical relationship with a German soldier after he helps her destroy material/propaganda which would otherwise have cost the young woman her life in a war-torn scenario. One fatal incident however proves to drive a wedge between the pair and Elsa is further burdened by a guilty conscience over ‘sleeping with the enemy’, with both also feeling the pangs of incrimination.
‘Elsa’ paints a riveting and nuanced portrait of the forbidden relationship between its leads which extends beyond sexual gratification, with the pair initially bonding over a shared experience in the teaching profession, as the uptight soldier opens up to Elsa about being haunted for his part in mentoring/recruiting child soldiers, and expresses remorse for leading youth astray by brainwashing them with a regressive ideology during their brief first meeting. He particularly recalls an instance of allowing the children a brief break to revert to their natural innocence during their last lesson together, by letting them sully their uniforms in muddy puddles on the playground. Elsa, thus, can’t help but show him empathy. Later the short film progresses to depict the emotional conflict for Elsa who finds her own sympathetic demeanour revolting, and simultaneously admonishes herself for allowing such a betrayal to occur.
Elsa’s tale is also a feministic one, with the short highlighting themes of a woman stripped of her dignity and identity (both literally and metaphorically), even derided with derogatory labels once the cat is out of the bag. As a character who showed sympathy towards even the most questionable individual, ultimately Elsa herself is surrounded by self-serving men who will not show the same empathy to her own situation. Lastly, Nina Yndis impresses with her performance in the titular role, embodying a vulnerable and sensitive woman who lays herself bare by allowing herself to love but is sadly forced into a life of self-atonement instead.
An intricate yet bittersweet and rather troubling slow burn (which is also currently in the process of being developed as a feature), while ‘Elsa’ certainly felt brief, hopefully the feature-length version will further explore Elsa’s life in much more detail.