Much like Jordan Peele folded acidic commentary and comedy into the shocks and dread of Get Out, Joachim Trier’s fourth feature, Thelma, is a lot more than it appears: as a thriller about a young woman with kinetic abilities.
On the surface, Thelma’s plot revolves around the plight of the titular character (played with the wet-eyed timidity of a lost fawn by Eili Harboe) and her realization of what her powerful mind is capable of. But deeper down, the story is about what her body is craving—and there’s some sharp observations about repressive religious beliefs sprinkled in, too.