‘Morgenrode’, translated to English means ‘Dawn’, however in a more meaningful title would best be named the literal version of ‘50 Shades of Grey’. The colour pallet is artistically used to give a level of depth to an otherworldly experience. Moments of bleakness accompanied by the occasional bright light or swirling of water create the illusion that rather than Earth, this is another planet entirely.

 

While underneath the amazing visuals and unsettling score there is a shallow narrative following Rahab (Torstein Bjørklund) on his religious pilgrimage to a mystical rock formation looking for a sign that there is an elder who will save him from the isolation. A journey that has seen him repeat his footsteps for over ten winters but this time he has company in the mysterious Set (Ingar Helge Gimle), someone who may be able to lead him to the answers he desires.

 

The tagline for the movie is “world understanding must take shape again” however, this shares little resemblance to the 70 minutes of slow paced walking and bleakness that unfolds. ‘Morgenrode’ is layered in mystery, the simple cold colours, the vast open landscape, limited script and emotionless characters all create the illusion of isolation and drown out any idea of civilisation. At times there are even moments that question Set’s existence as that only of Rahab’s consciousness to stop him from seeing the unknown. The relationship between the two is reminiscent of Max Von Sydow’s encounter with Death in ‘The Seventh Seal’ and the film echoes the undertones of life and death amidst it’s quest to find the creator of life at the cost of one’s own isolation.

 

Anders Elsrud Hultgreen offers no explanations to any of the questions it tries to tackle. Instead it plays like a beautiful painting, idylic to behold and behind it’s painters brush is a thought process that can only be unlocked fully by the artist.

 

This will not be everyone's idea of a great movie and something I’m sure Hultgreen intended. Rather than confining itself within the narrative of storytelling, ‘Morgenrode’ is brain fodder that will ignite the intellect of those open to the unknown and seek further assistance in that belief, not of what is out there but rather knowing that “something” is there.