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Ninney is terrific as Edmond, both the lovelorn wronged man and the confident vigilante. In both cases, his underlying feelings emerge beneath the surface. But because he is in control, he quietly watches the others squirm as he cleverly confronts them with their transgressions. Then he needs to learn a lesson as well. Each actor finds nuance in their role, with particularly string scenes between Ninney and Demoustier, as Mercedes' story arc has its own emotional kick.

This is a wonderful, time-honoured story told here in a way that's brisk but also marvellously unrushed, packed with characters who continually pull us in deeper. The way Edmond smartly plays his enemies by sidling up to them and plotting intricately is exciting to watch, while the drama is hugely involving because the characters are so strong. And there are heart-stopping moments that confront ideas of mercy and forgiveness with a bleak complexity.

themes, language, violence

18.Dec.24

Sonne is fully invested in Karoline's inner life, so her thoughts and feelings are clear even though she doesn't say much. Each person she interacts with feels like a challenge, bringing unexpected twists into Karoline's situation that require enormously thorny decision-making. Her scenes with the wonderfully opaque Dyrholm are particularly well-played, packed with nuance and chilling details. Zeciri gives Peter a strikingly humane soul, while Martin's young Erena is fascinating in her unpredictability.

"I only did what you're too scared to do," Dagmar says sternly to men who dare to judge her. "You should give me a medal." At the centre of this film is the way a male-dominated society uses and discards women in a range of cruel ways. This is expressed throughout the story, emerging in each event Karoline faces. Of course, this also makes the film unusually grim at times. But the script finds lovely sparks of life along the way, including a proper blast of hopefulness in the end.

themes, violence, sexuality

15.Dec.24

The young Assaratanakul gives a terrific performances, relaxed and realistic as M shifts from his aloof life playing videogames and develops a sharp understanding about his whole family, unaware that Amah is teaching him. And she is of course learning from him as well. Seamkhum fills the screen with heart and wit. Her dignity in a scene when she is cruelly dismissed by her brother (Subpakit) is powerfully moving.

"You think of Amah as an asset," Mui tells him at one point. "That hurts," M replies. "But is it wrong?" She reminds him that the only thing old people want from their offspring is time, which is something most families forget. The point here is that as M sets out to play the role of dutiful grandson, his motives are irrelevant, because he ultimately becomes a dutiful grandson, and even more than that. So where the film goes is both bittersweet and hopeful.

themes, language

24.Dec.24