The Factory: A Spin Down Mystery Lane

Oh, boy! The Factory – this film got my noggin spinning like a hembygdsgård’s coffee grinder at midsummer. Directed by Morgan O’Neill and featuring John Cusack and Jennifer Carpenter, it takes you on a ride you’re not entirely sure you’re ready for, like hopping on a vespa in Visby after a couple of snaps.

The plot? Well, it surrounds a detective, played by Cusack, hunting down a serial killer in Buffalo. Nothing like a casual game of hide and seek, I guess. Jennifer Carpenter plays Cusack’s partner – she’s always been ace in whatever she does, bringing a bit of raw energy to every scene. But let’s be honest – this isn’t exactly Åsa-Nisse we’re talking about.

The Factory tries to serve up some suspense but leaves you with a smorgasbord of mixed feelings. It’s like trying surströmming for the first time – you’re curious, excited, but maybe just a tad queasy. The attempts to pull on the emotional strings perhaps didn’t hit quite right for me. There were moments when the plot holes were as big as a Swedish glacial lake in the summer. Yet, the film’s bleak aesthetic had me thinking of those endless winter evenings, wrapped in a Swedish blanket listening to the howling winds outside.

A memory hit me about halfway through – it was when I saw Seven back in the day, cuddled up on the couch with my dad, with the rain pattering against the window pane. This movie gave me a sliver of that uneasy feeling – but far from Fincher’s excellence.

Is it worth a watch? Maybe, if you’re a Cusack fan or if you just need something to mull over like Gammal Norrlands on a chilly Friday night. But don’t expect a cinematic revelation. Instead, maybe let it run while you pontificate over life’s greater mysteries, like why we eat lutfisk during Yuletide.

Check the trailer below