When a student at a posh boarding school commits suicide, Sara (Rebecka Hemse) starts digging in the past as part of a school project, encountering a legend about a farmer who drowned but whose spirit never left. After his successful Evil (2003), Mikael Håfström lingered in the hierarchical, isolated world of elite schools, settling for a horror movie that closely follows the formula of American slashers. Effective and entertaining at times, but also terribly clichéd and bland; tension comes and goes.
2004-Sweden. 104 min. Color. Directed by Mikael Håfström. Screenplay: Mikael Håfström, Vasa. Cast: Rebecka Hemse (Sara), Jesper Salén (Felix), Kjell Bergqvist (Peder Weine), Anders Ekborg, Rebecca Ferguson, Jenny Ulving… Anders Ahlbom.
Trivia: Original title: Strandvaskaren. Ferguson’s feature film debut.
