NOV 20-21, 2026
‘Dolls and Drinks’ Review: A Stylish Gallery Nightmare With a Wicked Final Turn
Benedicte Kolberg’s Norwegian short transforms an elegant art-gallery opening into a surreal, unsettling and darkly playful descent into another world.
From its opening images, Dolls and Drinks announces itself as a film with a confident visual identity. The exterior cinematography is immediately striking, establishing an elegant atmosphere before the story has even begun to reveal its stranger intentions. Its vivid, pink-neon title design adds another layer of personality, preparing the audience for a thriller that is stylish, playful and increasingly disturbing.
The story follows Ine, a young hustler who enters a gallery opening and attempts to steal a bottle of champagne. What initially appears to be an amusing act of opportunism gradually leads her away from the public exhibition and into a much darker corner of the gallery. From that point forward, writer-director Benedicte Kolberg begins dismantling expectations.
The less said about the plot, the better. This is a film built around discovery, escalation and surprise, and revealing its later developments would diminish much of its impact. Kolberg understands that the audience should enter this strange environment alongside Ine, never entirely certain of what is waiting in the next room.
Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredrisen delivers a remarkably natural central performance. Even as the situation becomes increasingly unusual, her acting never feels forced or exaggerated. She allows Ine’s curiosity, confidence and growing unease to emerge organically, giving the audience someone believable to follow through the film’s absurd and nightmarish circumstances.
Halfdan Hallseth is equally effective as Dan, an imposing and mysterious figure whose physical presence is immediately intimidating. He is frightening without becoming predictable, carrying an intriguing quality that makes it difficult to understand his intentions. That uncertainty contributes considerably to the film’s tension.
The gallery itself is more than an attractive location. It becomes an essential component of the story, beginning as a sophisticated public space before gradually revealing what feels like an entirely separate world hidden behind its walls. Thomas Dalen’s cinematography captures both sides of the setting beautifully, moving from visual elegance into a more claustrophobic and menacing atmosphere without losing the film’s polished appearance.
Production design is one of the short’s greatest strengths. Every object and room appears carefully considered, particularly once Ine encounters the experimental puppets. These creations are genuinely creepy, combining handmade artistry with something deeply uncomfortable. An older female figure is especially effective, with disturbing facial expressions and gestures that remain in the imagination long after the scene has ended.
The practical effects give the film a physical quality that would have been difficult to achieve through digital imagery alone. The final mask created for the central character is particularly memorable: grotesque, detailed and perfectly suited to the film’s escalating nightmare. It represents the point where art, identity and violation begin to merge.
Kolberg handles the shifting tone with impressive control. Dolls and Drinks can be humorous, absurd, beautiful and horrifying — sometimes within the same sequence. The film plays with the audience’s expectations without becoming incoherent, and its strange ideas are supported by disciplined filmmaking rather than randomness.
Its production value is exceptional for a short film. The camerawork, performances, lighting, location, effects and production design all contribute to a fully realised world. Nothing feels casually placed, and the film’s ten-minute runtime is used efficiently.
Most importantly, the ending is genuinely unexpected. Kolberg refuses to guide the audience toward an obvious conclusion, delivering a final development that is creepy, surprising and darkly satisfying. It confirms that the director has understood exactly what kind of experience she wants to create.
Selected for the Los Angeles Fantasy Fest 2026, Dolls and Drinks is an original and visually accomplished genre short that rewards viewers who enter without knowing too much. It is a beautifully photographed, wonderfully performed and deeply unsettling encounter with art taken far beyond its acceptable limits.
Production Details
Original title: Dukker og Drinker
Director and writer: Benedicte Kolberg
Producer: Halfdan Hallseth
Co-producer: Kristoffer Holen
Director of photography: Thomas Dalen
Cast: Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredrisen, Halfdan Hallseth
Country: Norway
Language: Norwegian
Year: 2025
Runtime: 10 minutes 38 seconds
Genre: Thriller
Format: RED, colour, 2.35:1
By Darwin Reina 24 July 2026
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