Red Dot (2021)

Director: Alain Darborg

Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller

Runtime: 86 Minutes

Main Cast: Nanna Blondell, Johannes Kuhnke, Anastasios Soulis, Kalled Mustonen, Thomas Hanzon, Anna Azcárate

Plot: David and Nadja’s relationship is under a lot of strain, not helped by the fact that Nadja has just discovered she’s pregnant. As a surprise, David plans a few days break away in the mountains but during their first night they find themselves fighting for their lives from an unknown shooter.

My Thoughts: Thank goodness for Netflix, because the way things are going in the UK right now, we won’t be in cinemas until the end of the year. UGH. We’re also having the coldest week in almost 30 years and it’s really putting me in a bad mood now. There’s nothing like watching a fictional couple try to escape death to cheer you up, right? This little Swedish movie was a good watch to be completely honest, not without it’s issues but certainly decent.

My biggest issue is with a trope that always bugs me. It starts with it’s ending, then goes back to the beginning of the story. So first we see David, heavily injured in the snow, with Nadja hobbling away from him, also injured. There is, of course, more to the ending than that but it definitely takes away a lot of the tension for the rest of the movie. For example, there’s a scene where David falls through an ice covered lake and Nadja can’t find him. That would normally have me on the edge of my seat but when I know for a fact that he’s going to be okay? It’s not as thrilling.

The strongest part of the movie is in the two biggest questions. Who is trying to murder this couple? And why? We’re given a few suspects and motives but they seem to be quite weak, so it’s interesting watching that develop. The final reveal was definitely a huge surprise to me, and it really changed how I felt towards the characters. For better or worse, I’m not sure. Either way, Red Dot isn’t a fantastic movie but it’s good enough for me.

Best Bit: That first night, when the red dot appeared – that was a really tense moment. It’s a shame that it was quite short lived, considering the title of the movie I thought it would play a bigger part. But for that moment at least, I really felt the fear that the couple did.

Worst Bit: *MILD SPOILERS* The second I realised they were taking the dog with them on that trip, I knew what his fate was going to be. I hate that movies like this rely on killing off the family dog for thrills. This one was particularly brutal and hard to watch, too.

Fun Trivia: Nothing to find I’m afraid, so have this fun fact about the Northern Lights instead. The International Space Station sits at the same altitude as the Northern Lights meaning astronauts can see the lights from the side.

My Rating: 3 drones equipped with filming devices. If you happen to catch anything interesting on them then you know, maybe hand the footage TO THE POLICE.