Set in the remote winter landscape of Norway, Roos visits her mother there yearly, but this time it’s different: she brings bad news. However, old pain and numerous reproaches keep Roos from sharing anything with her mother. Aided by her half-brother and her old flame, the two women reconcile and Roos is able to make her next and inescapable step.
Acting
Rifka Lodeizen's silent agony speaks volumes.
Cinematography
Snow so white it hurts to look at.
Direction
Koole lets silence do the screaming.
Director
Boudewijn Koole
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Koole specifically cast Dutch Lodeizen against Norwegian actors to heighten Roos's alienation — she's literally not from this world.
The film was part of a wave of 'Nordic miserabilism' that dominated European festival circuits in the 2010s, though it subverts expectations with its ultimately tender resolution.
NL
