Nerdly » Frightfest London 2025: ‘Above the Knee’ Review

27th Aug2025

Frightfest London 2025: ‘Above the Knee’ Review

by Alain Elliott

Stars: Freddy Singh, Julie Abrahamsen, Louise Waage Anda, Viggo Solomon, Halfdan Hallseth | Written by Freddy Singh, Viljar Bøe | Directed by Viljar Bøe

I have actually read a bit about Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) before, and this is the main subject of Above the Knee. BIIDis when somebody’s perception or mental image of their body doesn’t match them physically. This can lead to them wanting to amputate a limb to make them feel ‘normal’. The lead character in Above the Knee wants to do exactly that – amputate his lower leg – and with his continuing visions of a rotting leg, he is desperate to be rid of it.

I think as a subject, BIID has been spoken about a lot more in the last few years, and I’m surprised there hasn’t been a mainstream movie or two that has featured it (it hasn’t to my knowledge anyway). Above the Knee does a very good job of explaining what it is, covering how someone feels when they have the condition and what they want to do with it. It feels like research has been done well, and this doesn’t look to glamourise the condition or make it too horrible either. There’s a nice balance here.

Freddy Singh plays the lead role and also co-writes the movie. I think co-writing often helps because he will know exactly how he wants the character to be, and I think that’s the case here. Despite his lack of acting experience – this is just his fourth IMDb credit – he does very well in the role. You see the complexities of what he is going through. That deep down there’s a nice person who is just struggling with this condition. We see how it takes over his life and how nothing else really matters. Or if it does matter, he just can’t help but push everything else aside, whether it be relationships or work. And he conveys all this really well. I enjoyed all the performances; everyone seemed to have their roles down perfectly, and when a film is quite heavy on dialogue and less on action, the actors needed to be on it as much as they are.

This isn’t your obvious Frightfest audience movie, though. And that’s not a dig at horror fans, I know the genre covers a whole host of different styles of movies, including ones full of dialogue and a slow pace. Above the Knee does try to keep reminding its audience that all is not right, and you do get a sense of dread on regular occasions. You will feel it building and building to its big conclusion. Whether that lives up to the build-up? I’m not so sure. I don’t want to give away any details of that scene but certain types of horror fans will enjoy it more than others.

There’s plenty enough here for me, though, to see that the inexperienced cast, writers and directors will continue to impress. Above the Knee is an interesting and original film on a less-talked-about subject, which I’m sure will stick with many people past its runtime.