Stellan Skarsgård is an actor that has found critical acclaim around the world, and has delighted audiences by camping it up in the musical Mamma Mia!, by helping to ground the god Thor into the MCU, and by inspiring people to stand against fascism and hate in an awards worthy role in Andor. There are dozens of amazing roles in his catalogue that you'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite from; but one that may have slipped by your notice is the 1997 Norwegian neo-noir thriller Insomnia. Thankfully, Second Sight Films are offering audiences the chance to catch this unique piece in a new Limited Edition 4K/UHD and Blu-ray release.
Insomnia begins with a series of disturbing images filmed on an old handheld camera, showing a young woman alive one moment, then dead the next, a hidden figure carefully cleaning her body before putting her inside black plastic bags. From here we join police officers Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) and Erik Vik (Sverre Anker Ousdal), who are flying to the city of Tromsø, which is located in Norwegian Arctic, where summer is in full swing and the sun won't set for months.
Arriving in Tromsø to investigate the murder of teenager Tanja Lorentzen (Maria Mathiesen) the two detectives find themselves tested by this surprisingly harsh environment, a place where the blaring white light of day never gives a moments rest. Jonas has trouble sleeping, his nerves pushed to their limit, whilst Erik has trouble remembering things; though this is more likely due to his age than Tromsø itself. When a key piece of evidence is discovered at a remote shack, the police decide to use it as bait, hoping to find the killer returning to the scene to remove anything incriminating. As the arctic fog moves in the police spot their suspect and give chase. In the chaos that ensues one cop is shot and injured. As Jonas tries to find the killer he opens fire on the suspect, but accidentally kills Erik.
Choosing to hide his actions from the other police, telling them that the suspect was the one who killed Erik, Jonas must alter evidence into the investigation to ensure that he's not found to be responsible. Unfortunately for him, there is one witness to the event, Tanja's killer. Jonas finds himself in a complex game of cat and mouse as he tries to keep his freedom, and deals with his ever decreasing sanity in the relentless glare of the never ending sun.
At first I was wondering if Insomnia was going to be kind of Twin Peaks type mystery as it opens with an investigator travelling somewhere strange to find answers about a murdered teen wrapped in plastic; but Insomnia is it's own animal completely, instead taking us on a journey with a desperate, morally grey protagonist. It's not going to surprise anyone that Skarsgård delivers an exceptional performance, as I don't think he does anything else, but the way that he depicts Jonas' descent into sleep deprived, guilt-induced madness is simply sublime in how it elicits both sympathy for him, and disgust at what he does.
This was one of the most surprising parts of the film for me, Skarsgård is a nasty piece of work throughout. We learn that he had to leave a previous position for ruining a case by sleeping with a witness, we watch him murder a dog, kill his partner and cover it up, molest a teenager whilst driving. He's not a character that you'd normally want to spend time watching, other than perhaps in a villain role; yet here he is, our protagonist and 'hero' of the film. Insomnia does a wonderful job at always keeping you unsure what you should be feeling, and you end up feeling conflicted and on edge throughout.
I was also impressed how the usual crime noir visuals were completely inverted for Insomnia. So many films in the genre rely on darkness, for atmosphere, for keeping things hidden, for reflecting the heroes inner turmoil or journey. Insomnia blasts you with a bright light instead, every scene almost uncomfortably so. It's not the warm light of a regular sunny day, it's an invading, insistent glow that drains you rather than invigorates. The constant sun manages to feel more oppressive than darkness, and the never ending day almost becomes a character itself during the course of the film, the entity that has driven Jonas to breaking point.
The new 4K restoration of the movie enhances those feelings of oppressive brightness thanks to the wonderfully crisp image quality. Alongside the film, which is presented in its original language with English subtitles, comes with an English Language audio commentary from Director Erik Skjoldbjærg and Co-writer Nikolaj Frobenius that offers some great insight into the film. Skjoldbjærg also appears in a brand new interview; as does Producer Petter J. Borgli. There's also a short video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and a trio of short films from Skjoldbjærg. The limited edition also comes with a 120-page booklet filled with essays and writing about the film, and six art cards.
As someone who's only known Stellan Skarsgård from his English language work it was an absolute delight to get to see him much earlier in his career. Insomnia showed me a very different side to the actor, and offered an unsettling, twisted narrative that entertained throughout.
Insomnia is available on Limited Edition 4K/UHD & Blu-ray from Second Sight Films on Monday 25th May 2026.
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