Tommy Snöberg Söderberg 
Bloody Tennis is a horror movie taking place in a tennis school, presumably somewhere in Europe. That might matter to an American audience, but for me, as a European, I think that the essence of the location is more that it’s somewhere “far away”. Almost in a parallel universe or somewhere where the conventional rules of society don’t apply. It’s a reputable place, but maybe totally unknown to those outside the tennis world. It never really feels real, and I think that’s a good thing.
After a short teaser, we are introduced to an American tennis player – Sophie – going there as a substitute for another who has become injured in the training process, or so we are told. Somewhere in the back of the head or in our spine we sense that this is not an ordinary place at all. Except, we can’t really put a finger on it yet. I, for instance, was under the impression that this would be a film about bullying your peers in the climb to the top. That’s not really what the film turns out to be, even if it’s in the same neighborhood.
The owner of the place – Mary – seems very harsh and her method demands total commitment and obedience. They are not allowed to have any contact with the outside world and must follow her and her assistant Stavro’s every whim if they expect to benefit anything from the training. And it’s extreme training I might add. Not in terms of running, doing pushups or hitting the ball harder. Not even in a way to make them better at placing the ball on the exact spot on the court and such things. In fact, there is very little actual tennis practice in Bloody Tennis.
Instead, what we get to see is how each and every one of the girls are sucked in to be dominated by the leaders’ will. How they are prompted to participate in strange traditions and practices until they are more or less broken and feel that the unnatural becomes the natural. Almost from the very beginning we see a kind of bullying and hazing being carried out by the girls under the leadership of the owner and her team. It’s obvious that this is a method of breaking them down so they can be rebuilt again.
The tone from start to finish is very creepy. You know that something is going on but it’s hard to put your finger on it. There seems to be an obvious plan to turn the girls against each other but not before they have bonded. In hindsight I think this is a good metaphor for hardening and controlling your feelings on the tennis court. At some point the fact that there are no friends on the court is stated, there is only an opponent, and feelings have nothing to do with it.
I think the pace was kind of slow, but still there was something happening all the time. Small things that by themselves seemed unimportant but when you have the full picture they all make sense. There are suggestions spread along the way towards the end of the film. There seems to be some sort of witchcraft and cannibalism hinted at very early on. Nothing is really explained in detail until maybe in the last possible moment of the film. And even then you have to trust your deduction skills.
I like the acting from all the girls. For some it’s clear from the very beginning what’s going on but for others suspicions grow strong with every day. For us, the audience, we’re in the same situation. We suspect and gather information, get new suspicions which are either confirmed or denied later on. Most often confirmed I must say. Especially Sandra Guldberg Kampp, who portrays the lead Sophie, is fantastic. She starts out by being just a good actress in the beginning but in the final 15 or 20 minutes or so, she’s absolutely fantastic and gives a stunning performance. Just the right balance between being mean for real and the person who is pleased with herself for finally figuring everything out.
The only set back acting-wise is really the staff; they appear kind of wooden. It makes sense once you realize why, that the film is a nod toward classic Euro-horror and that the characters they portray are almost caricatures of what the stereotypes are. I understand the point and the reference to make the almost totally quiet third staff member and a nod toward the totally loyal helper, like Igor in Frankenstein or Renfield in Dracula. People that don’t really have a stake in anything but do as they’re told. But for me it ruins the experience a little bit.
Without adding any spoilers I would say that Bloody Tennis is a pretty good metaphor for how the common cult usually works. Take away all outside contact, let the unnormal become the normal and follow your leader blindly. Except there is a little twist.
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