A seemingly divine premonition leads Norwegian sisters Kari and May to buy an apartment in the small Swedish town of Gullspång. To their surprise, the seller looks remarkably similar to their older sister Astrid, who committed suicide thirty years earlier. What’s even more odd is that this doppelgänger used to go by “Lita,” the same nickname as their deceased sister.

What begins as an eerie story of destiny, faith and improbable coincidence soon becomes a Pandora’s Box of stranger-than-fiction revelations and awkwardly comical mishaps in this “riveting” and “one-of-a-kind” documentary that is “complete with Lynchian echoes of Twin Peaks” (The Hollywood Reporter).

For thoughts on The Gullspång Miracle, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

The Gullspång Miracle comes to Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a fetching high definition master. The film primarily consists of new interviews with some occasional looks at vintage home movies interspersed for additional context. The footage, both old and new, looks as technically excellent as it can look in high definition. Some portions of the movie take a more verité approach to filmmaking, but no section looks considerably less refined than any other. The transfer appears to have plenty of room to breathe, and there are no issues with compression artifacts, banding or other digital shortcomings.

The small amount of older footage and archival photos seems to be the best version of it that would be possible, at least what you would expect from basic recording equipment from the time period. New interview segments look very crisp and clear with natural skin tones and detailed facial features. The colors on display are natural and vibrant as they provide a nice visual pop on screen. Much of the film takes place with a beautiful rural backdrop, which provides some nice texture to the picture. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to some amount of detail in shadows when the conditions allow for it. I do not see how this transfer could have been improved visually. It’s a sterling presentation that is handled with care by Film Movement.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a strong Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track in the original Norwegian and Swedish with optional English subtitles that captures this film perfectly well. Dialogue is by far the driving force of the film, and it is largely balanced well with any competing sounds so that words come through clearly. Director Maria Fredriksson does a fine job of capturing her subjects, considering some of this material was filmed during familial gatherings where voices were fighting for prominence. The implementation of music establishes a distinct mood for the film, and it is resolved well here as it fills the room as it flows into the surround channels. Environmental sounds are plentiful and are replicated perfectly. You could not have asked for a better audio presentation for this one.

Special Features

Interview with Director Maria Fredriksson: A nearly 18-minute interview with the filmmaker in which she discusses how she got involved with the project, building trust with the subjects, adapting the structure with each development, figuring out what was important in the edit room, the reactions from the subjects after first screening the film, and more.

Theatrical Trailer (1:57)

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included with an essay by film critic Sara Clements.

Final Thoughts

The Gullspång Miracle is one of our favorite types of documentaries, where the initial unbelievable hook is only the tip of the shocking iceberg. The film unfolds with all of the drama of a scripted narrative, and you will find your allegiances shifting as more information comes to light. The film leaves you with many questions – such is life – but it is far from unsatisfying in totality. Film Movement has released a Blu-Ray featuring a very strong A/V presentation and an engaging supplement. If you love a good mystery documentary, this is worth a look. Recommended

The Gullspång Miracle is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Movement and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.