Above the Knee – Movie Review (3/5)

ABOVE THE KNEE is a new Norwegian Horror Movie from the director of the 2022 GOOD BOY. This one has a very specific body horror storyline that’s hard to watch at times. Read our full Above the Knee movie review here!

ABOVE THE KNEE is a horror movie by the director of the 2022 Good Boy movie. Not to be confused with the new, much-talked-about 2025 Good Boy movie starring an actual dog.

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The Good Boy movie from the director of Above the Knee here >

This new horror movie has the same vibe as the previous movie by the director, but I preferred that one. And still, I could not look away from this new horror movie about BID – short for Body Integrity Dysphoria. It goes all-in!

Continue reading our Above the Knee movie review below. The film will be screening at FrightFest UK.

Update: The movie will be out on Screambox on September 9, 2025.

Living with a rare and taboo disorder

With Above the Knee, we’re getting a story about someone suffering from a very real, but rare, mental disorder called Body Integrity Dysphoria or BID. With this disorder, a person feels like an otherwise functioning part of them shouldn’t exist.

In this particular story, one young woman has always felt she should have been born blind. Another, our main character, feels like his left leg should only exist above the knee.

That’s why he wants to cut his leg off above the knee (hence the title), in order to feel complete. Yes, his version of being complete would make him incomplete. But how can you attain this without being hospitalized?

Well, that’s what Amir (co-writer of the story, Freddy Singh) is trying to figure out.

Amputation to cure depression?

Amir seems to have a lot going for him, but he also seems very fragile. Or rather, he seems quite depressed, and everyone around him is walking on eggshells to avoid making him upset.

And yes, you will hear what happened earlier to result in this behavior from his friends and loved ones.

However, until we get this story, we see Amir looking for a job while his lovely girlfriend (Julie Abrahamsen) tries to help their day-to-day life feel normal.

Amir is a seemingly smart and able-bodied man, but something is bothering him; He feels that his left leg shouldn’t be there. Through his eyes, we see what he experiences, which is a leg that seems to be slowly rotting away.

He feels it’s an alien thing that needs to be cut off. Basically, he needs to amputate his left leg if he is to have any hopes of ever being happy. Of course, you can’t say this out loud to anyone. They’ll say you’re crazy!

A very unlikable main character

Admittedly, I did not care for Amir in Above the Knee. This was solely due to his behaviour. I do, however, recognize that the further into his world I got, the more I was able to understand how deeply depressed he was.

To me, Amir just came across as very dark and cold, and I still don’t think we were ever given a chance to understand why his girlfriend Julie was with him.

If Amir has always felt this way, then when was he a happy and loving person? I would’ve loved just a quick flashback showing us this. With a runtime of just 1 hour and 16 minutes, a five-minute scene could’ve done wonders for me.

The most fascinating character, in my experience, was ultimately the character of Rikke. The woman who speaks about her BID in public and whom Amir befriends to better understand himself.

Louise Waage Anda plays Rikke, and that character could easily have her own spin-off movie. When Above the Knee was over, I still wanted to know more about Rikke as Louise Waage Anda portrayed her!

Watch Above the Knee when you get the chance

Above the Knee comes from writer and director Viljar Bøe (Good Boy). The story was conceived with Freddy Singh, who stars as Amir in the actual movie. As already mentioned, I wasn’t crazy about this character.

However, despite my issues with Amir as a character, I can’t ignore the deep impact of the story. Especially the discomfort of Amir, everyone around him, and my own as I watched him become increasingly desperate to get rid of his left leg.

While I definitely preferred Viljar Bøe’s previous movie, I still recommend this one as well. And honestly, I could easily see both get a US or UK remake.

Above the Knee has been playing at film festivals all over the world. From Beyond Fest in the U.S. in September 2024 to Splat!FilmFest in Poland, Fantasy Filmfest in Germany, and PUFA in Spain. Now, it’s getting its UK premiere.

Whenever you get the chance to watch this very realistic body horror story, you should definitely jump at it. If you think you can stomach it, of course. And also, do not miss out on his movie Good Boy – not connected to the 2025 Good Boy.

Above the Knee receives its UK premiere at FrightFest on August 25, 2025. It will be on UK and Ireland digital platforms on September 8, 2025. In the US, it will be out on Screambox on September 9, 2025.

Details

Director: Viljar Bøe
Writers: Viljar Bøe & Freddy Singh
Cast: Freddy Singh, Julie Abrahamsen, Louise Waage Anda, Viggo Solomon