The first adaptation of Jussi Alder-Olsen Department Q book series is dark psychological crime film directed by Mikkel Nørgaard. The movie stars Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Sonja Richter & Fares Fares.

The plot revolves around Carl Morck, a Copenhagen detective, whose mistake on the field left him remorseful and got him to the department Q – cold cases – to push papers, that is until he come across Merete Lynggard’s case. A rising political star who allegedly committed suicide by jumping off a ferry at sea, leaving her brain damaged mute brother alone on the deck of the ferry. Her body was never found and the case was closed a few months after her death.

Let me start by saying that I never really minded watching movies in foreign languages, I can read subtitles and watch the action at the same time. But I like when I don’t have to solely read the subtitles to know what it is they’re saying, which is why I do have a preference for movies whose language have a basis that I understand like Italian or Portuguese. I’m sort of fluent in Spanish so every other word in Italian and Portuguese I understand or easily figure out. I also studied Japanese, my Japanese is really poor but I still understand some words. So I’m more prone to watch a movie in a language that has the same basis of a language that I understand or speak, meaning English, French, Spanish, and Japanese.

That’s one of the reasons why I never watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films with Noomi Rapace. Swedish, Danish languages are a complete mystery to me. I know it’s stupid and ignorant but that’s how it is but at least I got around to watch this film. 

Review: The plot of The Keeper of Lost causes unfolds slowly but every bit of it pulls you in. The case is as fascinating as the men investigating it, Carl Morck is brash, seems arrogant, and often rubs people the wrong way. He is hard to like but he quickly grows on you. His assistant Assad, whose the more laid back, smart kind of guy, of the two really is the Yin of Carl’s Yang. They complement one another, it makes for an odd but interesting pair. 

The investigation is actually enigmatic and not as easy to figure out as a lot of the cases in crime thrillers are these days. Merete Lynggaard is a bit of an enigma herself, orphaned, workaholic, not very social, she lived for her brother, Uffe Lynggaard, so her lifestyle raises a lot of questions. As the investigation progresses, there are flashbacks of the victim, to see what happened at least just enough to keep you guessing on who did it and why.

The Keeper of Lost causes is one hell of a good noir crime thriller, language barrier or not this movie is captivating. Have you seen it? What did you think?