Trollhunter

(Andre Ovredal/2010/Norway)

A superb mockumentary using found footage about covert operations in Norway’s woodlands attempting to keep trolls away from the hoi polloi and to also control their population. It builds from innocent naivety to complicit partaking in the troll hunting like a mash up of Blair Witch and Man Bites Dog, it is a worthy successor of the style of both those movies. It’s also wonderfully droll, depicting official mismanagement and bureaucratic negligence as all the while the hunter complains of his lot. All the fairy tale tropes are there, 3 goats on a bridge, trolls turned to stone, smelling Christian blood etc but it lifts itself out of parody with the subtext of state sponsored censorship and secrecy being imperative to keep the status quo and all funded by the unknowing public. Hugely funny and deftly executed with all parts acted impeccably, this is a favourite of mine.

(4/5)