Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Red Dot’ On Netflix, A Swedish Thriller Where A Romantic Trip Goes Seriously Wrong

Nordic stories are all the rage these days; with titles like Quicksand,Marcella, Equinox, and more, Netflix has been embracing the Swedish side of things. If their latest addition, a tense thriller called Red Dot, is any indication of the content to come, we have a feeling Netflix will be making Nordic films and series for the foreseeable future. 

RED DOT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: David (Anastasios Soulis) and Nadja (Nanna Blondell) are a young couple trying to make it work in Stockholm. While things are promising on the surface – David has a great engineering job, and Nadja is studying to be a doctor – things are tense between the couple, and made even more so when Nadja discovers she is pregnant. Looking for a chance to rekindle their spark, David surprises Nadja with a romantic weekend away in Northern Sweden where they’ll ski and sleep under the Northern Lights.

The trip starts normally enough, but things start to feel a little off when they encounter a pair of hunters at a gas station nwho seem a little… off, and things only get weirder from there. David, Nadja, and their dog Boris try to move past this brief incident, but it’s the beginning of a seriously dark turn of events. Their first night under the Northern Lights is soon interrupted by a red laser dot on their tent, and the two end up running for their lives through the snowy wilderness from an unseen force. Full of twists and turns you’ll never see coming, Red Dot doesn’t hold anything back.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Red Dot is a little reminiscent of other ‘being-stalked-through-the-wilderness’ thrillers like The Ritual, as well as hopeless, tense thrillers in the same category as It Comes At Night and The Lodge. Its snowy setting and the fight for survival may also bring to mind flicks like The Grey and even The Revenant.

Performance Worth Watching: Nanna Blondell is wonderful as Nadja, a woman whose resentment seems to dictate her life, even if her husband doesn’t take much notice of it. She has the kind of screen presence that suggests she could carry her own film or series, charming and funny when things are light and deeply affecting in the film’s more intense, harrowing moments. She’s apparently set to appear in Marvel’s Black Widow, and I can’t wait to see her career blow up.

Memorable Dialogue: It’s cheesy, but it comes during one of the film’s only moments of levity – and it gives us a glimpse of the central couple’s chemistry: “I may have the world’s best job, but I don’t want to lose the world’s best girl.”

Sex and Skin: There’s some almost-action in a car flashback, but not much else.

Our Take: It may take a little time for this chilly thriller to warm up, but once it does, there’s no stopping it. Red Dot is the rare film unafraid to be relentlessly grim and self-serious, but it feels earned. The filmmaking isn’t flashy or in-your-face, but rather relies on the desolate, wintry setting and its strong performers to bring everything home. Anastasios Soulis and Nanna Blondell are truly great here, believable as a couple who seem to love each other deeply but can’t quite get into a healthy groove. We find out later what’s haunting the two of them, but it manifests itself so subtly early on that it’s easy to think they might be coping with run-of-the-mill issues and relationship resentments.

Red Dot is not a film for those with weak stomachs or a love of happy endings, but it might check quite a few boxes for those who might be willing to wallow in misery and hopelessness for just under 90 minutes. This is not a film of heroes and villains, or good and evil. It’s about the horrors of humanity and what we’re all capable of, even if we don’t want to admit it. At its core, the film is really a psychological thriller; the cat-and-mouse aspect is suspenseful, yes, but watching these people unravel is terrifying.

It’s fortunate that Red Dot found a home at Netflix, where it will likely be widely seen and discussed. I can’t think of a better place for a film this humorless – and that’s not a bad thing – to make its debut. There are no easy answers in Red Dot, and there aren’t many easy questions, either. Red Dot is a bold film, one unafraid to reveal the ugliness of human nature and the often bleak reality of the world. And while compelling to watch unfold, it’s not a very fun reality to accept.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Red Dot is tense, disturbing, and well-made. Not everyone may be able to stomach it, but for those who aren’t afraid to let things get a little bleak, Red Dot may be just the thing.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream Red Dot on Netflix