Two brothers meet at their mother's funeral, each in his way on a path of self-destruction, both haunted by a tragedy in their youth.
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Title: Submarino (2010)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Gustav Fischer Kjærulff | ... | Martin |
| Sebastian Bull Sarning | ... | Lille Nick | |
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Mads Broe Andersen | ... | Lillebror (as Mads Broe) |
| Jakob Cedergren | ... | Nick | |
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Peter Plaugborg | ... | Martins far |
| Patricia Schumann | ... | Sofie | |
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Morten Rose | ... | Ivan |
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Henrik Strube | ... | Jimmy Gule (Yellow Jimmy) |
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Helene Reingaard Neumann | ... | Mona |
| Dar Salim | ... | Goran | |
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Esther Hancock | ... | Nabokonen Vørle |
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Henrik Petersen | ... | Forsvareren |
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Lisbeth H. Pedersen | ... | Sagsbehandler (as Lisbeth Holm Pedersen) |
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Elias Ehlers | ... | Carsten |
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Sebastian | ... | Baby |
As children, Nick and his little brother take care of their baby brother while their mother drinks herself senseless. But the baby dies, and both brothers blame themselves. Many years later, Nick is out of prison after serving time for an assault. He drinks, lives in a shelter and tries to help an old friend. When their mother dies, Nick meets his brother at the funeral. The brother, who remains nameless, is a single father to a young boy, but also supports a drug habit that is spiraling out of control. When an opportunity presents itself, he becomes a drug dealer to secure his son's future. Eventually, the two brothers meet again. Written by Peter Brandt Nielsen
An incredibly intriguing, engaging, emotional and thoughtful drama from Denmark. Intriguing because there is a mystery about the sequence of events. You see the movie from one brother's perspective, initially, and there's a question mark over the whereabouts of the other brother. Then you see the other brothers story, starting a few weeks earlier, and everything starts to fall into place. A very clever plot device.
Engaging and emotional because you feel for the characters. They might not be the most angelic of people, but they are people worth caring about. You are drawn into their characters and relationships, and keep fearing for the worst.
Thoughtful because of how the movie depicts life at its rawest and people at their mot vulnerable, in a very sensitive and intelligent manner.
Not perfect though. The film is a bit rough around the edges. There are some minor character inconsistencies and some small sub- plots are inflated all out of proportion.
Solid performances all round, including one of the better performances you'll see from a child: Gustav Fischer Kjærulff as MArtin.
Great script and direction from Thomas Vinterberg, who I'm sure we'll hear a lot more of in the future. He has already directed one English-language/US-based movie, Dear Wendy, so will not be totally foreign to US audiences. His follow-up to Submarino, The Hunt, received a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination in 2014, and has pushed him further into the limelight. He is bound for great things.