Aberdeen (2000)

A mom dying in Aberdeen, Scotland, asks her coke snorting, nympho, London lawyer daughter to get her estranged, alcoholic dad in Oslo, Norway, to Aberdeen. He's drunk at the airport, so they travel together by car and ferry.

Directors:

Hans Petter Moland, Tony Spataro

Writers:

Hans Petter Moland (screenplay), Kristin Amundsen (screenplay)

Stars:

Stellan Skarsgård, Lena Headey, Jean Anderson

9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Tomas
Jean Anderson	...	Kaisa as a Child
Lena Headey	...	Kaisa
Charlotte Rampling	...	Helen
Louise Goodall	...	Sara
Jason Hetherington	...	Perkins
Kate Lynn Evans	...	Emily
John Killoran	...	Blake
John Harwood	...	Huddleson
Sara-Marie Maltha	...	Receptionist (as Sarah Marie Maltha)
Fergus McLarnon	...	Eric
Anders T. Andersen	...	Customs Official
Henriette Steenstrup	...	Car Rental Clerk
Kari Simonsen	...	Waitress
Jan Grønli	...	Granbakken

Storyline

Kaisa is a Scot, a successful London lawyer, who snorts coke and has one-night stands with strangers. Her mother calls from Aberdeen with some story begging her to fly to Norway and collect her alcoholic dad whom she hasn't seen in years. The impatient Kaisa reluctantly agrees. The story is a ruse: mom is dying and wants her ex and her daughter together again. The trip gets complicated (dad is too drunk to fly and the hot-tempered Kaisa gets them banned from the airline): they go by ferry then car, needing a great deal of help along the way from a sweet lorry driver named Clive. Will they reach Aberdeen before mom's death, and will Kaisa find any stability within herself or in others?

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | breasts | shower | road trip | sex scene | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Quotes

Kairo 'Kaisa' Heller: Fine, call security. Fucking Bitch, d'ya know that?
[puts middle finger up at her]
Airline Stewardess: Is that supposed to be a threat?
Kairo 'Kaisa' Heller: Err, no, no. It's an index finger you dimwit, but that
[shows a fist]
Kairo 'Kaisa' Heller: ... that's a fist. But not for hitting... for fist-fucking tight arsed pussies like your good self!

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Connections

References Rain Man (1988)

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Soundtracks

Balladen om Fredrik Åkare och Cecilia Lind
Text Cornelis Vreeswijk
Published by Warner/Chappell Music Scandinavia AB
Performed by Cornelis Vreeswijk
Courtesy of Warner Music Sweden AB

User Reviews

Unflinchingly Accurate

'Addiction' as a genre of film is jam-packed with predictable content, but ABERDEEN is a cut above the rest. Stellan Skarsgards boozy downward spiral is a home-video into the real world of alcoholism. Too often the alcoholic is portrayed as if locked in some sort of heroic struggle, however, real drunks stumble, fall down, puke, and create emotional havoc in their own lives and everyone around them. This film also adds a fresh look at The Alcoholic Intervention Model. In this movie, the one who is spearheading the intervention is arguably in worse shape than the beneficiary. ABERDEEN is an unflinching look at the nature of addiction with a bold, well written abrasive script.

Details

Country:

UK Sweden Norway

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 September 2000 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Aberdeen

Filming Locations:

Bergen, Hordaland, Norway

Box Office

Budget:

$6,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,065, 19 August 2001

Gross USA:

$65,090

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$65,090

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmfabriken Baltic Sea AB, Freeway Films, Norsk Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1