Quake: Now showing at the Carlsberg Scandinavian Film Festival

Regressed memories, a child custody battle and chilling family secrets come to the fore in the absorbing Icelandic psychological thriller Quake. Now showing as part of the 2022 Carlsberg Scandinavian Film Festival at select Palace Cinemas, this is one movie that will keep you guessing along the way.

Starring Anita Briem (The Tudors, The Minister), Quake follows Saga, a single mother in her late thirties, who suffers total memory less after a crippling, severe and random epileptic fit in front of her son. Afraid, confused and deemed an unfit parent by her ex, Saga becomes suspicious of those around her. As she struggles to piece together her scrambled mind, Saga is haunted by painful and confronting snippets, deemed to be regressed memories by her psychiatrist.

From there, Saga embarks on a journey that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, history and myth, reality and the imagined. Saga’s frequent visitors include her sister Jóhanna, her parents Óskar and Gunnar, and her ex Bergur. Each interaction guides Saga to awaken her subconscious, and after she retraces her steps as a child, unearths a very confronting truth about her past and her family.

Adapted from the best-selling eponymous novel, Quake is a slow-burn, gripping drama with an excellent pay-off. Anita Briem is a star, playing Saga with gusto and authenticity. The supporting cast put on fine performances, especially Tinna Hrafnsdóttir, who plays Jóhanna, and Edda Björgvinsdóttir as Dídí.

Quake is the debut film from Icelandic female director Tinna Hrafnsdóttir (who also stars as Johanna). A puzzle from the onset, Quake will stir your mind.

3.5/5

2022 Carlsberg Scandinavian Film Festival
Thursday 14 July to Sunday 4 August 2025
Select Palace Cinemas in Melbourne
scandinavianfilmfestival.com