Feature – Sweden / UK Premiere

Nicolas Provost / Belgium/Sweden / 2011 / 95 min

Showing @ Cineworld 3, Thu Jun 21 @ 20.40 & Thu Jun 28 @ 21.00

The protagonist of Nicolas Provost’s film has been compared to Travis Bickle, but The Invader’s Amadou (Isaka Sawadogo) isn’t lost in his own land – he’s a refugee whose obsessions grow from trying to shape the world he finds himself in to fit with his desires.

Amadou’s obsession is for married businesswoman Agnes (Stefania Rocca). Whilst he sees their night together as the foundation of a new future, she views it as some extramarital fun. This disconnect and delusion is what drives him to stalk her whilst brutally expunging his past. Anchored by an electrifying and charismatic central performance from Sawadogo – one moment a picture of self-confident charm, the next unhinged and unfocused – this film constantly walks a knife edge of tension as it’s impossible to guess what will happen next. Nicholas Provost has blended clear nods to Taxi Driver with a European aesthetic particularly on show in the opening scene and he gets the best from his performers by encouraging a minimalist style. The Invader is difficult, often uncomfortable viewing, but it’s a rewarding journey into the darkness from a director and actor worth looking out for in the future.