Armand

The movie is a respectable effort in the art of Cinema although, even if it is filmed in color it is very nearly 'film noir' , muted colors and lighting throughout sometimes in the extreme; a scene in a classroom with the lights turned off ? The plot is too intricate and character's relationships to one another just seem a bit too cute to be plausible but there to tell the story and then you get more of their backstories as you get deeper into the movie. Look the acting is great and it explores an age old human dilemma where things are not what they seem and people act on their assumptions when when the facts are uncertain. I saw 'The Teacher's Room' which was outstanding this movie is similar in some respects but is not ' knitted ' together very well . I am glad I saw it but would be hard pressed to recommend it , if I had been streaming it at home I would not have finished watching it. The movie is just not straight forward in it's delivery and that is too bad; it had much more potential with drama and acting that def. Is present in the film.

The debut feature film of Halfdan Ullman Tønder, grandson of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullman, is a partly allegorical, partly naturalistic dissection of 21st century parenting and educational system, and their handling of an "unfortunate incident" between two 6-year-old boys. Renate Reinsve is the eccentric mother of Armand, the alleged perpetrator in said incident, and as she finds herself scrutinized by her son's teacher, the school administration and the parents of the other boy, the film slowly descends into an interrelational abyss - a limbo from which no good things can ever emerge. Ullman Tønder's purpose and position are strong, and so is his artistic expression, which is discernibly inspired by the works of his grandfather, and perhaps also to a degree by Kubrick. And although the narrative as such at times feels bumpy and the film unevenly edited, Armand is in many ways a return and homage to pure cinema, for which it should be hailed.

Armand and the other boy, the centre of the story here, are absent. They are rendered psychologically dead by psychologically dead - or insane - parents.

What began as a gritty drama, turned out to be psychological horror. I suppose the Scandinavians are good at living the unconscious, manifesting the darkness. A bleeding nose in one of the characters signals early on that we are to spiral down, nauseated, into the madness of all the "adults". The feeling of vertigo is subtle and perhaps more terrifying than Hitchock in its normalised elusiveness. Empty corridors, staircases, and silent screams. A children's choir where children are voiceless. Two mothers who couldn't be more repulsive. Where does evil begin? "If you look at our image, you'll see only chaos. If you dig deeper, you'll find nothing else."

This had so much potential and got off to such a solid start. Which was why it was a disappointment when the storytelling went off the rails in the last hour or last third of the film. At about two hours long, the elements that were included in that final hour that made the film go haywire could have been completely removed and the end result would have been a fantastic movie. The first part of Armand was gripping, as the audience watches the main character go through a roller coaster of a day with school administrators after being called in due to an altercation at her son's school. She is alone in trying to advocate for her son as she faced his accusers, poking holes in the claims made against him. The acting was great, and the characters were realistic and interesting. The moments of tension and discomfort were captured in a way that I think most of us could identify with. Where this fell apart for me was when the movie took tangents by including some scenes that felt pretentious to the extreme, making no sense and turning a story and characters that had been believable into something cringe, nonsensical, and plodding. I found myself fast-forward/skipping through those moments, as they added nothing to the story and were too annoying to put up with. I was getting angry by that point. It's unfortunate because this could have been a four-star film for me, but because it veered so wildly off course in the end, it dragged the entire thing down. Huge miss. Video review on my YouTube channel.

Greetings again from the darkness. Accusing someone, anyone, of something or anything, is as easy as speaking the words. The challenge of justice unfolds with the (often) difficulty in finding sufficient evidence for proof. Although all of this holds true for any age and most any infraction, when the scenario plays out with six-year-olds at school, the situation can prove nearly unbearable for the parents and faculty. This is the basis for the first feature film from writer-director Halfdan Ullman Tondel (grandson of Norwegian actress Liv Ullman and legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman).

Elisabeth, a well-known actor, is on the phone with her son Armand, "I love you. Do you love me?" She is rushing to attend an after-hours meeting that's been called at her son's school. She has no idea of the topic. Her heels clack against the tile floor in the school hallway as she steams towards the assigned classroom, unprepared for the ambush awaiting behind the door. Demure teacher Sunna (Thea Lambrechts Vaulen) is reluctantly running the meeting. The other two parents in attendance are Sarah (Ellen Dorrit Peterson, THE INNOCENTS, 2021; THELMA, 2017) and her husband Anders (Endre Hellestveit). Sunna explains that Armand is accused of highly inappropriate action towards Sarah and Anders' son. Elisabeth is shocked and can't believe any 6-year-old, much less her Armand, would perform such an act.

The tension in the room is extreme and becomes heightened as more of the story is revealed. There is an existing relationship between these two parties, and a recent personal tragedy has created a rift that might never heal. We understand how Elisabeth could presume the accusations are retribution for the previous events, and as viewers, we are caught off-guard by these connections. Malfunctioning fire alarms periodically interrupt the proceedings, and we can't help but wonder if false alarms are the real theme of this story. Still, the accusations are such that some type of discussion is merited.

Soon two additional school officials join the meeting. Ajsa (Vera Veljovic), battling a recurring bloody nose tries to keep the peace, while principal Jarle (Oystein Roger) is most concerned about the school's reputation and lack of formal procedure. Filmmaker Tondel includes some surreal sequences that lead to a panic attack, and mostly what we see are adults who can't agree on how best to handle the awkward situation ... or even if there is a situation to handle. Elisabeth is played brilliantly by Renate Reinsve, who proves her amazing performance in THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (2021) was no fluke. She has a scene of uncontrollable emotions that generates true discomfort for those in the room, as well as those of us watching.

This was Norway's Oscar submission for Best International Feature, however it did not land a nomination. Still, it's a different kind of drama meant to display the power of emotions and stress as it urges the viewer to decide not just how they would react on either side, but also what would be the proper manner in which to handle the situation.

Opens in theaters on February 7, 2025.