Sons (Danish: Vogter) is a 2024 psychological thriller co-written and directed by Gustav Möller. The film starring Sidse Babett Knudsen and Sebastian Bull is about an idealistic prison officer Eva Hansen, who faces the dilemma of her life when a young man she knows from before is transferred to her prison.[1]
| Sons | |
|---|---|
 Festival release poster | |
| Danish | Vogter |
| Literally | Guardian |
| Directed by | Gustav Möller |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Jasper J. Spanning |
| Edited by | Rasmus Stensgaard Madsen |
| Music by | Jon Ekstrand |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Les Films du losange |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Danish |
The European co-production between Denmark and Sweden was selected in the Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear with its first screening on 22 February at Berlinale Palast.[2]
Synopsis edit
Eva is a prison guard with high ideals, but her life is turned upside down when the murderer of her son arrives at her prison. She secretly requests to work in his section, the most brutal and dangerous one. This starts a disturbing psychological thriller where Eva's sense of fairness challenges her ethics and her destiny. Her growing feelings of revenge and her ideals collide.
Cast edit
- Sidse Babett Knudsen as Eva Hansen
- Sebastian Bull as Mikkel
- Dar Salim as Rami
- Marina Bouras as Helle
- Olaf Johannessen as head of institution
- Jacob Lohmann as priest
- Siir Tilif as lawyer
- Rami Zayat as Ali
- Mathias Petersen as Simon
Production edit
The film produced by Lina Flint for Nordisk Film with support from the Danish Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute was made in collaboration with DR, SVT and Les Films du Losange. Nordisk Film is also domestic distributor whereas Les Films du Losange holds world selling rights.[3]
Release edit
Sons had its world premiere on 22 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Competition.[4] [5]
The film was screened at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 4 April 2024 in Firebird Awards Young Cinema competition.[6][7]
The film was screened at the Reims Polar on April 2024.
It will be released in Danish and Swedish theaters on 12 September 2024. [8] [9]
Reception edit
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10.[10]
Stephen Saito reviewing for Moveable Fest at Berlinale wrote, "True justice may be hard to come by in the world that’s depicted here, but in arriving at a strikingly fair conclusion, Sons does so by its characters trapped in an impossible situation."[11]
Peter Debruge reviewing in Variety said, "Sons is not a pious tale of an inspirational prison guard." He opined that for Borgen fans, "Sidse Babett Knudsen’s performance reveals a more unpredictable side of the star, who gives an at-times feral turn fueled by rage and regret." Debruge in his review also raised questions such as: "Are there no background checks for Danish prison guards?" also "And no consequences for beating convicts nearly to death?" And then concluded with, "In Sons, the real question is: Where does the cycle stop?"[12]
Davide Abbatescianni reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa wrote, "Gustav Möller crafts an accomplished sophomore feature telling us some uncomfortable truths about the lives of prison guards and inmates."[13]
David Ehrlich of IndieWire reviewing at Berlinale graded the film B and wrote, "Unresolved and deflatingly rhetorical as it might be, Möller’s thriller maintains its bruising hold over us because it refuses to see that as a failure of his country’s prison system, as opposed to its ultimate success."[14]
Nicholas Bell in Ion Cinema rated the film with three stars and said, "Ultimately, it’s a rather cold, melancholic film seeing how preventable certain miseries could be if everyone just took the time to look beyond themselves to respond with kindness."[15]
Wendy Ide reviewing the film at Berlinale, wrote in ScreenDaily "A tough, taut character study of a woman driven, against all better judgement, to increasingly reckless and dangerous acts."[16]
Accolades edit
The film was selected in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, thus it was nominated to compete for Golden Bear award.
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Golden Bear | Gustav Möller | Nominated | [17] |
| Hong Kong International Film Festival | 7 April 2024 | Young Cinema Competition (World), Firebird Award | Sons | Won | [18] |
References edit
- ^ "Vogter: Drama, Dänemark/Schweden 2024" [Sons: drama Denmark/Sweden 2024]. Film Dienst (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (22 January 2024). "The Berlinale unveils its Competition and Encounters titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (25 January 2024). "Gustav Möller's psychological thriller Sons to world-premiere in the Berlinale Competition". Cineuropa. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (22 January 2024). "Berlin Reveals 2024 Competition Lineup: Rooney Mara, Mati Diop, Isabelle Huppert, Abderrahmane Sissako Movies Among Selection". Deadline. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Sons". Berlinale. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Patrick Frater (8 March 2024). "Hong Kong Film Festival to Open With Ray Yeung's 'All Shall Be Well,' Close With Japanese Charmer 'All the Long Nights'". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Sons". HKIFF. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Vogter". kino.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Sons". Simkl. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Sons (2024, Mystery & thriller/Drama)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ Saito, Stephen (22 February 2024). "Berlinale 2024 Review: A Corrections Officer Lets Her Guard Down in Gustav Möller's Riveting Drama "Sons"". Moveable Fest. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ Peter Debruge (22 February 2024). "'Sons' Review: Playing a Prison Guard With a Dark Secret, 'Borgen' Star Sidse Babett Knudsen Uncages Her Inner Animal". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (22 February 2024). "Review: Sons". Cineuropa. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ David Ehrlich (22 February 2024). "'Sons' Review: 'The Guilty' Director Gustav Möller Returns with a Grippingly Claustrophobic Prison Thriller". IndieWire. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Nicholas Bell (22 February 2024). "A Poison Tree: Moller Employs Wrathful Mother in Jailhouse Revenge Drama". Ion Cinema. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (23 February 2024). "'Sons': Berlin Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (22 January 2024). "Berlin film festival reveals 2024 competition line-up". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "HKIFF 48 – Firebird Awards and Fipresci Prize announced at the Hong Kong International Film Festival". UK-China Film Collaboration. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
External links edit
- Sons at IMDb
- Sons at Rotten Tomatoes
- Sons at Danish Film Institute
- Sons at Berlinale
