Submarino (2010)

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.

Director:

Thomas Vinterberg

Writers:

Jonas T. Bengtsson (novel), Tobias Lindholm (screenplay)

Stars:

Gustav Fischer Kjærulff, Sebastian Bull Sarning, Mads Broe Andersen

10 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gustav Fischer Kjærulff	...	Martin
Sebastian Bull Sarning	...	Lille Nick
Mads Broe Andersen	...	Lillebror (as Mads Broe)
Jakob Cedergren	...	Nick
Peter Plaugborg	...	Martins far
Patricia Schumann	...	Sofie
Morten Rose	...	Ivan
Henrik Strube	...	Jimmy Gule
Helene Reingaard Neumann	...	Mona
Dar Salim	...	Goran
Esther Hancock	...	Nabokonen Vørle
Henrik Petersen	...	Forsvareren
Lisbeth H. Pedersen	...	Sagsbehandler (as Lisbeth Holm Pedersen)
Elias Ehlers	...	Carsten
Sebastian	...	Baby

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | funeral | drugs | friend | boy | 

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Taglines:

Nogle gange vil fortiden ikke give slip (Sometimes the past won't let go)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MK2 [France] Official site [Denmark]

Country:

Denmark Sweden

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

1 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Na dnu

Filming Locations:

Vesterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$815,998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nimbus Film Productions, TV2 Danmark, Nordisk Film- & TV-Fond

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Submarino is the name of a common torture method among the world's prisons, the prisoner is hanged upside down with the head inside a recipient full of water, feces, urine among other things. The movie takes this as a metaphor because all the characters are sunk into violence, alcoholism, drug addiction and twisted sex and, in those situations, is very difficult to breathe.

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Connections

Features The Big Class Reunion (1998)

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Soundtracks

Everything Burns Out
Written by Thomas Olsen, Per Pedersen & Lars Grønning
Performed by The Failures
© The Failures 2007

User Reviews

Ultimately, you may just have to settle for a ray of hope.

There's a very fine line between probing into human failings and all-out misery. Director Thomas Vinterberg's latest balances itself precariously between the two throughout, wavering between plot elements that seem grounded in its characters' emotional realities and those that are unnecessarily grim. Ultimately however, the movie redeems itself thanks to fine ensemble work and its daring, assured direction.

"Submarino" is the unforgettable story of two brothers, long estranged and haunted by a dark secret buried in their past, who live separate lives in modern day Copenhagen. Nick (Jakob Cedergren), a violent ex-con, tries to help out an old friend, but falls quickly into old habits. Meanwhile, his brother (Peter Plaugborg), raises his son, but is unable to escape his own demons of addiction. Each is on a path to self-destruction, and they must find each other -- before it's too late.

The cast is uniformly strong -- both Cedegren and Plaugborg are solidly believable in their roles. Cedegren's acting, minimal and yet poignant, is especially remarkable. Vinterberg has a genuine respect for his characters and a desire to see them transcend their trappings, and his film, in turn, mostly succeeds where it could so easily have fallen short. When its numerous narrative threads finally converge, the resulting pathos feels genuinely earned and authentic.

Adapted from the novel by Jonas T. Bengtsson, "Submarino" was an official selection at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival.