Director Viljar Bøe was last at FrightFest with his 2022 film Good Boy, the disturbing tale of a woman who finds her new relationship third-wheeled by her boyfriend’s pet man-in-a-dog-suit, Frank. A queasy blend of psychological horror film and romantic drama, it emerged as perhaps the most unnerving film of that year’s ‘fest… even if it did screw the pooch with a predictable and cliched final act.
Above The Knee is a no-less challenging work, especially in its reluctance to bend to genre convention where, ultimately, Good Boy gave into it. The story of a man (Freddy Singh) who is convinced that his leg is not his own, it emerges as one of the most uniquely challenging films of this year’s FrightFest. Suffering visions of his own limb as a rotten, blackened piece of meat, Amir is determined to be rid, and much of the film follows the struggle to not give into temptation. Body Integrity Dysphoria, otherwise known as BID, is a very real, albeit rare disorder, and Amir finds a kindred spirit when he and girlfriend Kim (Julie Abrahamsen) watch a documentary on the subject.
Having spotted her on the documentary, Amir tracks down Rikke (Louise Waage Anda), a woman who identifies as blind. Together, they plot to be rid of their unwanted ‘afflictions’ – his leg and her eyesight – setting a course to become the people they always felt they were inside. But with Amir’s impatience only growing and Rikke’s presence proving a bad influence, he finds himself growing increasingly distant from his girlfriend and work. Only one thing will scratch his itch – lopping, hacking or even mashing the thing off at the knee.
It’s a grisly collision of David Cronenberg’s Crash and 127 Hours, made all the more disturbing for its naturalistic performances and unshowy cinematography. Like Bøe’s previous work, it’s an absurd premise, treated with clinical seriousness.
ABOVE THE KNEE premiered at UK FrightFest on August 25th, 2025.
