The Shamer's Daughter

This foreign film with a supernatural twist is surprisingly well done. It was based on a well-known and excellent fantasy book series, "The Shamer Chronicles." Unlike so many adaptations, it is not in the least cartoonish. The acting is good. The writing is good. The plot is good as well. The basic concept, that the lead character can shame people into changing their behavior, has power. You do, of course, have to like things in the fantasy genre. If so, this is well worth a look. It is a cut above.

Awesome for kids - but if you are 12+ you will feel like you are reading a children's book, which isn't the case with the actual book.

As a reader of the books, and so a fan of the series, I went and saw the film with high expectations, and hoping for a sense of ''breathtaking''. This was, however, unfortunately not what happened. In my opinion, the acting and setup seems like a theater from public school 5th grade. Of course it's child actors who play the more significant roles. But if you can't find children with skills, one should simply make the characters a few years older.

But fortunately there are the skilled and seasoned adult actors, or are there? These tanned actors work equally as if they were extras in a school play. The animations and props were good, and it certainly does not resemble a B-movie. But I hope that a film company with a somewhat higher budget, sees the potential of the extraordinary storyline and therefore makes a re-make of it.

If you have not read the books, I think that the film may be a bit confusing and seem shallow, with a bad plot.

Looking forward to ''Skammertegnet'' - if this were to be produced of course.

Enjoyed the mix of humor and action. Better than satisfactory acting. Interesting characters and twist/turns of the script. Worth the time to watch. Enjoy it for yourself.

So, the negative reviews for this movie have two topics: 1) The ending. If you are one of those who can´t stand a movie without the typical 08/15 Hollywood happy ending with the bad guys dead and the hero riding into the sunset, you better stay away from this movie. If your taste in movies isn´t yet ruined by the cliche, keep reading.

2) The movie being inspired by GoT. Not having watched GoT, I am free from comparing them, so I don´t see any flaws there. And IIRC, fans weren´t exactly happy about the ending of the series either... And let´s be honest - it is extremly hard by now to NOT resemble anything already made. For me, it reminded me a bit of LotR at times with the hobbit like look of the main character and the Rivendell lookalike. But that´s okay.

If you are able to rate the movie for what it is, you will most likely end at 6 stars or higher. I found the characters to be convincing enough (surprisingly especially the younger cast), with the main character reminding me of Elizabeth Mitchell regarding the grace and kindness in her mimic. The special effects were pretty good and the story is well written, so all in all, it is a solid movie. Nothing groundbreaking or genre redefining, but definitely worth a watch.

The King of Dunark, his pregnant wife, and their 4-year old son have been murdered. They are survived by their son Nicodemus, who is the heir to the thrown. Found with a bloodied knife in his hands, Nicodemus is the suspect, but when he fails to confess, the Master of the Law sends for Melussina Tonerre, who is a witch and has the ability to see the shame in people.

Prince Drakan then sends for Melussina's daughter, Dina, who also has the gift but is more powerful. But in Drakan is more than meets the eye. He framed Nicodemus, and tries to kill Dina, upon which she and Nicodemus flees. Now, Drakan - who allegedly is the King's illegitimated son - ascends the throne, and sends his men to find and kill Dina and Nicodemus, while Dina is trying her mother who is to be executed.

'The Shamer's Daughter' is a sword and sorcery film set in Medieval times, and even features dragons. The visuals are very good and the performances - especially Rebecca Emilie Sattrup as Dina - are excellent. It is a film that touches on elements of betrayal, loyalty and friendship, and ultimately makes for action-packed entertainment. I enjoyed it.