Well, this is a troubled tale. It is based on a graphic novel, of the same name, by Kim W Andersson. The draw for me was Amalia Holm and, as expected, she brings a layered performance with both vulnerability and peril. All the performances are quite good. There is violence in this storytelling and mental distress but I'm going to take a risk and not call it horror. It seems to me the trauma is the product of untenable circumstances in a young woman's life exasperated by bullying. I give this film a 7 (good) out of 10. {Drama}Swedish with subtitles.

I suppose the novel doesn't leave as many loose ends as this film. Or it felt that way to me, the characters' individual stories are not developed, you can't really understand why they are that way...so some details come across as unnecessary since they end up not adding anything to the story. Didn't want to mention spoilers but the first time Josefin appears, it's very obvious she's dead. And didn't get the last scene, where Alena flees the party: her girlfriend goes after her one second later but for some reason Alena manages to fight and kill two people before she's reached... Entertaining, maybe, but very forgettable, I'd say.

After watching Alena I couldn't help having the feeling that I watched that kinda movie a dozen of times before. If it was exceptional then it wouldn't matter but unfortunately it isn't. It's been done before and way better. The story starts interesting but the more the story advances the more boring it gets. Watching high school bully girls for the entire movie is just boring after awhile. And the poor little girl they pick on and that is supposed to unleash her evil power is just not creepy enough to make it an interesting horror movie. Actually I don't think it has anything to do with a horror movie. Just one of those movies you watch with one eye open. Amalia Holm should taint her eyebrows dark as well if she wants to be darkhaired. That's just an information to her, as a bonus.