Insomnia

Best known in the English speaking world for the fantastic remake starring Al Pacino and Hillary Swank, this film may not quite have the epic qualities of the Hollywood version, but otherwise lacks nothing that gives the story it's elegiac qualities.
Sarsgaard is excellent, not over egging his characters disintegration but playing him nicely as a man who is real, feels feelings and laughs at jokes, but is all the same in many senses pathological. The side characters play their roles well, not trying to impose anything more than their parts dictate.
It is a terrific story, well written, well paced. Revelations are given which appear to break the mounting air of tension...and then it is realised that we have just reached a new layer, of thought. The thematic similarities between the dectective and the murderer are well played out, the latter being portrayed ithout hysteria.
Perhaps the sex is a tiny bit overplayed, but all round the piece is nicely restrained, staying largely within its bounds of a police thriller, with psychological aspects. The cinematography is fitfully interesting, the fog scenes are well made and the general atmosphere is well maintained.
The way we most like to think about this film is as a modern noir, with blinding light replacing the classic dark shadows. This film doesn't fall far short of those great Hollywood classics; it is at once a tightly and well made genre movie, but with the prospect of reaching out, further, adding to a intriguing piece.