In Darkness (2018) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie is set in modern London, United Kingdom. The story centers on Sofia's apartment in the city, with the urban environment serving as a claustrophobic backdrop for the intertwined secrets, criminal networks, and elite corruption that drive the narrative.

• london
• setting
• location
• uk
• britain

The events unfold in present-day contemporary London. The era is defined by modern technology, surveillance systems, digital investigations, and current urban crime dynamics, with a USB drive acting as a key catalyst for truth-seeking.

• present day
• time period
• modern
• contemporary
• era

The film explores three core themes: Identity, the protagonist's hidden past and disguised truth; Power, corruption, crime networks, and theManipulation of systems by the wealthy; and Trauma, how past violence and family betrayal shape present choices and motivate characters.

• themes
• identity
• power
• trauma
• meaning

Sofia is a blind pianist living in London who becomes entangled in a dangerous criminal investigation after a murder disrupts her secluded life. She is actually Balma, a woman with a buried past whose vendetta against war criminal Zoran Radic drives the story forward.

• sofia
• protagonist
• blind pianist
• balma
• character

Zoran Radic is a Bosnian War-era war criminal who has transformed into a powerful crime lord operating in London. His wealth, political influence, and brutal control over criminal networks make him a formidable antagonist with a dark history connected to Sofia's family.

• zoran radic
• villain
• war criminal
• crime lord
• boss

Veronique is Zoran Radic's pregnant daughter who plans to expose her father's crimes. She serves as the insider who provides Sofia with crucial evidence via a USB drive, and her death triggers the main investigation and Sofia's quest for truth.

• veronique
• radic daughter
• insider
• usb drive
• whistleblower

Marc is Radic's head of security who struggles with loyalty and self-preservation. He has an affair with Veronique and becomes entangled in her death, though he ultimately helps Sofia and bears responsibility for Radic's downfall.

• marc
• security
• henchman
• loyalty
• betrayal

Sofia McKendrick is revealed to actually be Balma, whose true identity was concealed after she was orphaned as a child. This revelation reframes her vendetta against Radic as personal rather than incidental, connecting to her family's violent past.

Foreshadowing: The film hints at Sofia's hidden past through her adoptive father Niall's secret operations and her unusual knowledge of Radic's criminal network.

• identity twist
• sofia is balma
• hidden identity
• real name

Power and corruption drive the narrative through Radic's criminal empire, his manipulation of political systems, and the betrayals within his own organization. The pursuit of justice becomes a personal vendetta as characters fight for survival against someone who controls everything from behind the scenes.

• power
• corruption
• crime empire
• political influence
• manipulation

Trauma threads through every choice in the film, from the massacre of Sofia's family to intimate betrayals and loss. The past continuously leaks into the present as buried memories resurface, shaping loyalties and motivating dangerous risk-taking throughout the story.

• trauma
• family massacre
• past
• memories
• psychological

Niall is Sofia's adoptive father, a veteran soldier who rescued her as a child after her family was murdered. He collaborates with Sofia to uncover Radic's assets and operations, but dies in the hospital, leaving a legacy that fuels her continued resolve.

• niall
• adoptive father
• veteran
• soldier
• mentor

Detective Inspector Oscar Mills is the police investigator who uncovers that Sofia is actually an alias linked to Niall's lost daughter. He follows the trail through surveillance and police procedure, gradually piecing together the truth behind the family betrayals and Radic's crimes.

• detective mills
• police investigator
• investigation
• detective
• law enforcement