Manifestations of dread in Thelma

The article analyses the aesthetic expression and evocation of the emotion of dread in Joachim Trier’s Thelma. Situating the film within a subcategory of new Nordic horror films dealing with coming of age, the article utilizes close analysis of selected scenes to explore the aesthetic connections between dread and notions of absence, alterity and the sublime, and through a comparison with the director’s two first feature films, Reprise and Oslo: August 31st, it argues that the emotion of dread is ultimately thwarted by a narrative device that represents a novelty in Trier’s cinematic universe: the happy ending.