Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Denmark, 2016. A blurred note is found in a bottle that has traveled across the ocean for a long time. After deciphering the cryptic note, Department Q follow a sinister trail that leads them to investigate a case that occurred in 2008. At the same time, new tragic events take place that test their faith and deepest beliefs.
The third installment in the Department Q Nordic noir series delivers a competent but increasingly familiar procedural. The message-in-a-bottle cold case premise is an intriguing hook, and the religious fundamentalism angle adds some thematic depth around faith vs. atheism. However, the plot mechanics grow convoluted and the resolution feels rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Fares Fares maintain their reliable chemistry as Carl and Assad, anchoring the film, but supporting performances are uneven. Cinematography is solidly atmospheric in the Danish grey-palette Nordic noir tradition without pushing beyond genre conventions. Novelty suffers as this is the third entry in the series using largely the same formula, and the religious thriller elements feel borrowed from better films. The ending is the weakest point — the climax is melodramatic and the thematic payoff on the faith theme feels underdeveloped given how prominently it was set up.