The latest original offering from streaming platform Netflix comes from the remote Swedish landscape to evoke fear into the hearts of its viewers.

Director Alain Darborg’s sophomore outing in the director’s chair for a feature film is built on a lot of potential and is strengthened by a solid cast, primarily its two leads Anastasios Soulis and Nanna Blondell who provide the heart and soul of the movie waiting to be ripped apart by the ordeal that they are subjected to.

Their characters David and Nadja hold all the promise at the beginning of the movie with David graduating into his ideal job and riding on the high, proposes to Nadja, who willingly agrees.

The road ahead soon dampens though as we are projected down the timeline to find out that the relationship is a rocky one. Nadja finds out that she is pregnant and is concerned about their prospects as parents, especially as David appears incapable of pulling his weight.
He does, however, try to rekindle their relationship by taking the pair away for a winter retreat, camping beneath the aurora borealis.

This is where their journey takes a drastic turn for the worse when they are hunted in the dead of night by a sniper, intent on killing them both.

The film has some interesting twists, turns and reveals along the way, some of it a little predictable and puts a spotlight on the misjudgements of character along the way.

The ending however is a powerful one and highlights the lengths that someone will go to for justice and righting the wrongs of the past. 

Despite some of its uniform approach to the thriller genre, Red Dot is still entertaining and keeps the upbeats up and the downbeats at a suitable low to take a breather from the action.

The Prognosis:

This Swedish horror thriller on Netflix packs plenty of promise but doesn’t quite hit its mark.

• Saul Muerte