Overview
A sheltered young woman grapples with newfound desires and dark secrets as she navigates university life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- melancholic
- brooding
- late night arthouse viewing
- halloween programming
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a thoughtfully twisty, beautifully composed supernatural thriller that combines queer romance, psychological mystery, and female gothic unease.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Thelma's psychokinetic manifestations intensify as she struggles against her desire for Anja and the restrictions imposed by her family and faith.
The film combines religious repression, sexual awakening, mysterious family history, and supernatural bodily disturbance around Thelma's perspective.
Joachim Trier uses isolated landscapes, restrained performances, silence, and composed imagery to turn Thelma's loneliness into a physical presence.
Thelma's attraction to Anja conflicts with her devout upbringing and stern parents, becoming the catalyst for her psychological and supernatural crisis.
Films like Thelma, and why
Carrie
Shares an adolescent female protagonist, supernatural powers, repression, religious pressure, and a psychologically intense coming-of-age thriller structure.
Let the Right One In
Shares chilly Scandinavian atmosphere, supernatural ambiguity, outsider adolescence, and a tender but unsettling queer romance.
Raw
Shares female gothic unease, bodily transformation, sexual awakening, and an art-horror approach to desire and identity.
Personal Shopper
Shares a queer romantic core, psychological mystery, restrained visual style, and themes of repression and self-discovery.
Movie Details
- Director
- Joachim Trier
- Release Date
- 2017-09-15
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1175)
Cast
- Eili Harboe
- Kaya Wilkins
- Henrik Rafaelsen
- Ellen Dorrit Petersen
- Grethe Eltervåg
- Marte Magnusdotter Solem
- Anders Mossling
- Vanessa Borgli
- Steinar Klouman Hallert
- Ingrid Unnur Giæver
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Thelma about?
- A sheltered Norwegian student’s forbidden desire awakens a terrifying power that forces her to confront the family secrets and religious restraints shaping her identity.
- What is Thelma like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Thelma as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Thelma violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Thelma as moderate.
- What did critics think of Thelma?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a thoughtfully twisty, beautifully composed supernatural thriller that combines queer romance, psychological mystery, and female gothic unease.
- Which films are like Thelma?
- Films with a similar feel include Carrie, Let the Right One In, Raw, and Personal Shopper.
- How long is Thelma?
- Thelma runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Thelma?
- In United States, Thelma streams on fuboTV, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel.
