Torun and Mikael have been married for a few years. When vacationing on the Danish coast, their young son Melker accidentally drowns. Torun initially blames her sister, who was supposed to supervise her children. Later she turns her anger and grief against her husband. Since none of them know what to do with their feelings, they start to drift apart.
Acting
Röör's silent breakdowns hit harder than any screaming.
Direction
Petri & Björkman turn Danish beaches into burial grounds.
Cinematography
Sun-drenched frames mocking the darkness within.
Director
Kristian Petri
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Directors Petri and Björkman were both acclaimed documentary filmmakers; this was their rare fiction collaboration, shot with documentary-style detachment that makes the grief feel observed, not performed.
Part of a 1990s wave of 'death of a child' cinema (The Sweet Hereafter, The Son's Room), but uniquely Scandinavian in its emotional restraint—no catharsis, just weather.
DK
SE
