Knocking — Knocking (digital)

Knocking (aka Knackningar) is a Swedish psychological drama/ thriller- focusing on a woman, who has just left a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown. She moves into a new flat and starts hearing knocking on her celling and becomes convinced there is a woman being held in one of the flats above her. The film plays with the 'are they mad or not trope', which has been used a fair bit of late, through the film managers to stand well enough on its own- with themes of losing a loved one, loneliness, and the largely isolated lives many of us live- even in the largest of cities. Here from Signature Entertainment, we have a digital release of this 2021 film- which is now available across most digital platforms.

Knocking was directed by Frida Kempff, with a script by Emma Broström, based on a 2011 novel by Johan Theorin. Knocking is Kempff first feature-length film, who beforehand had made a series of short films/ docs- which started with Psykobalett- a 2006 doc focuses on Psycho balle- a form of mental health therapy developed in Cuba.  The film rolls in at a fairly tight for a feature-length at seventy-nine minutes, though it feels just right as it is.

The films lead and the main character is Molly (Cecilia Milocco) a forty-something woman, who lost her female partner in a downing accident- and this causes her to have a breakdown. When we first meet Molly, she is just been released from a secure unit- and is now seemingly fully well. She is moved into a new flat, which is in one of a huge block of flats- and slowly but surely tries to get back into the swing of normal life. From the off she starts hearing knocking from one of the above flats- at first, she starts making polite enquiries with the residents on the floor above her, and they all deny it’s coming from them. But as time goes on the knocking carries on and starts reaching to the authorities for help- becoming more and more wound up and nervy as things go on.

Milocco is very believable as the troubled-but-trying-to get on with life Molly, managing to shift well though balanced and normal all the way to manic and upset. She basically carries the film, yes, we do get people she encounters- like the seemingly nice and helpful caretaker, a grumpy and shifty man who lives above her, and a few other of the flat’s residents. But it's mainly her film. Director Kempff does paint very well the feeling of troubled unwellness and trying to get better, as well as is it all in her imagination or not plotting- really leaving you guessing right untill to the sad-later- tense ending.

Overall, I’d say Knocking is a good example of psychological drama/thriller form, and I thought that the claustrophobic setting, Milocco acting, and Kempff directing were all on point. I’d certainly be interested in seeing Kempff doc/ short work, and will keep an eye out for her next feature-length.