Is Nyårsfesten Worth Watching? Honest Movie Review & Audience Verdict (2018)

📖 The Core Premise

Nyårsfesten returns to the screen in 2018, bringing a fresh narrative to the various genre. At its heart, the film explores complex themes wrapped in a compelling storyline. As the plot unfolds, we see characters navigating a world where stakes are high. "The turn of a year in a snowy village in Sweden documents the need for change and continuance. A collective film about rites and times. Dala-Floda, Sweden, has 680 inhabitants. In the depths of the blue light of winter, six filmmakers ask themselves what it means to start a new year. Emerging locals formulate their views on time and our need for rituals and reoccurring events. Their answers parade poetically through the snowy and cold village landscape. A sort of time travel takes place and recalls ordinary as well as extraordinary memories and identities. The commonplace is our need for measuring time, our need for a beginning and an end. A ninety-year-old woman shows a way out of the never-ending dream phase of the evoked Phantom Carriage (Selma Lagerlöf) and exclaims: "Really, you ought to reset yourself. You have to feel completely at zero again"."

🎬 Performance & Direction

A movie's success often hinges on its execution. Gossas Karin Runo attempts to elevate the material, but the direction leaves them with little to work with. The direction aims to balance pacing with character development, a hallmark of good cinema. While there are moments of brilliance, the pacing occasionally dips.

🤔 Why You Should Watch (or Skip)

Is Nyårsfesten worth your time? If you appreciate various films that take risks, this is likely a decent one-time watch. However, if you are looking for a flawless masterpiece, you might find some plot points predictable.

🏆 Final Verdict

Ultimately, Nyårsfesten misses the mark on several fronts. With a runtime of 84 minutes, it asks for a significant time investment, but for the right audience, it pays off.

Our recommendation: Skip It.