Thelma is a psychological horror-thriller that blends supernatural elements with deep emotional and psychological struggles. The story follows Thelma, a shy and reserved young woman who moves from her strict religious home in rural Norway to Oslo for university. Raised by overprotective and deeply religious parents, Trond and Unni, Thelma finds herself experiencing newfound freedom but also deep-seated anxiety. She struggles with social interactions but slowly forms a friendship with a classmate named Anja, who is open, confident, and kind. As Thelma begins to develop romantic feelings for Anja, she experiences unsettling physical symptoms, including seizures that seem to coincide with moments of intense emotion. These episodes grow increasingly severe, hinting at a hidden power lurking beneath the surface.
As Thelma and Anjaโs relationship deepens, Thelmaโs seizures become more frequent and violent, triggering strange and unexplained phenomena around her. She begins to experience disturbing visions and hallucinations, blurring the line between reality and imagination. Flashbacks reveal moments from her childhood that suggest she may have suppressed dark memories. Her parents, particularly her domineering father, seem aware of something about Thelma that she herself does not remember. When she visits a doctor, medical tests show no clear cause for her seizures, leading her to question whether something supernatural is at play. Meanwhile, her attraction to Anja intensifies, but she feels conflicted due to her strict religious upbringing, which condemns same-sex relationships. The tension between her desires and her ingrained beliefs causes even more distress, making her powers spiral further out of control.
As Thelma digs deeper into her past, she uncovers terrifying truths about her childhood. She learns that she has an ability to alter reality through sheer willpower, though she has no control over it. When she was a child, she unintentionally caused the disappearance of her younger brother by simply wishing for it in a moment of anger. Her parents, fully aware of her abilities, have spent years suppressing her emotions and controlling her environment to prevent further tragedies. Now, in Oslo, away from their control, her suppressed emotions resurface, bringing her powers back with devastating consequences. When Anja mysteriously vanishes after an intimate moment with Thelma, she realizes that she may have inadvertently made her disappear, just like her brother.
Thelma returns home to confront her parents, who attempt to sedate and control her once more. However, with her growing awareness of her own strength, she begins to resist. In a climactic showdown, she fully embraces her powers and turns them against her oppressive parents. She forces her father to drown himself in a lake, while her mother, left helpless, watches in horror. With her parents out of the way, Thelma gains complete agency over herself. Realizing that she can reverse what she has done, she uses her abilities to bring Anja back, proving that she has gained control over her powers. This moment signifies her ultimate transformationโfrom a frightened, repressed girl to a powerful woman who takes charge of her own destiny.
Thelma is a chilling and thought-provoking film that explores themes of repression, identity, and the fear of oneโs own nature. It masterfully blends psychological horror with coming-of-age drama, using supernatural elements as a metaphor for personal awakening and self-acceptance. The filmโs slow-burn tension, stunning cinematography, and haunting performances create an atmosphere of unease, making Thelmaโs journey both unsettling and deeply emotional. In the end, Thelma is not just a horror storyโit is a tale of liberation, proving that true power comes from embracing who you are, no matter how terrifying that realization may be.
