Fjord
Published · Watched 2026-09-04
I left the cinema with a sense of dissatisfaction. I think the subject matter itself could be interesting, but to spend the entire film exploring it only at a very superficial level is frustrating. It seems I’m going to need to make my own food for thought here because the film doesn’t give you much to chew on. I didn’t feel any sort of genuine quandary. It’s all “poor little parents; sad face; nasty authorities; angry face”.
It avoids being completely partisan, but it also avoids asking any really difficult questions, and it completely avoids questioning itself throughout.
The bleak landscape and settings are nice and everything. The bleak atmosphere, the sad faces, that’s really all I got from this film. The camera is very passive. You are pretty much just observing proceedings; if only the proceedings were actually interesting…
I will say I appreciate the film eschewing the most egregious of manipulative tropes such as tear-jerking music and the like.
In conclusion, the film acts like a serious, sombre inquiry into what could be a very challenging subject. It’s heavy on the bleak, sad faces, and light on the substantial exploration of the subject. No food for thought; very dissatisfying.
Actually, I have to say the food for thought this film has given me has all been over why I found it particularly unsatisfying, and how to crystallise those thoughts into words. I left the cinema feeling something similar when I saw Hamnet. I think I’m going to revisit my review of that film; I may manage to put my thoughts to words a bit more betterer now.
I may revisit this review soon too, making it less of a stream of consciousness as I home in on the point I am trying to make.
