Shadows on the Wall | My Father's Island

My Father’s Island aka: Sukkwan Island

dir-scr Vladimir de Fontenay
prd Carole Scotta, Eliott Khayat, Caroline Benjo
with Swann Arlaud, Woody Norman, Alma Poysti, Ruaridh Mollica, Tuppence Middleton, Maria Arlen Larsen, Yas Bingol, Lilly Arlen Larsen McQuaid, Paddy Towers, Matthew McCrae, Venetia Hogg, Testimony Adegbite
release US Jan.25 sff,
UK 3.Jul.26
25/Norway 1h54

SUNDANCE FILM FEST

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Mixing nostalgia with dark emotions, this drama makes the most of its spectacular Norwegian setting, while the tone remains thoughtfully internalised. Based on a novel, the film is mainly observational, as writer-director Vladimir de Fontenay simply follows a father and son circling around each other, living far from any other people. It's gorgeously photographed by Amine Berrada to capture rich, dark colours, finding beauty in unexpected places.

In England, Elizabeth (Middleton) is reluctant to let teen son Roy (Norman) travel with his French father Tom (Arlaud) to an isolated Norwegian island. But she thinks a year of homeschooling might do him some good. Tom teaches Roy the basics of living off the grid, from bathing in the lake to hunting for food. Things get tense after a bear trashes their cabin, and of course the winter's snow, ice and darkness present new survival challenges. Roy isn't sure he can stick this out, but he begins to understand that they need each other.

Walking through his memories, the film opens a decade later, as the adult Roy (Mollica) asks local pilot Anna (Poysti) to take him to the island one last time before it is turned into a national park. So the film unfolds from his perspective as he revisits an experience that profoundly altered his view of the world. Much of the film features Tom and Roy getting to know the island and each other. But of course the real journeys are taking place within them, and the bookending scenes redefine everything in a way that's somewhat frustrating.

Swann and Norman develop a fresh, offhanded connection between Tom and Roy, which makes their conversations feel improvised. This helps bridge between the moments when they feel closely bonded together and others when they struggle to communicate. They generally get along well, but there are trust issues continually gurgling under the surface. So both actors have to dig deep. And the nuanced performances bring out textures that resonate strongly.

While the running time feels overlong, the film grabs hold as provocatively bleak thoughts seep into scenes. Both of these men are dealing with unresolved issues. And Tom is frustrated that Roy's attitude prevents him from seeing how beautiful this place is. The narrative is inventively structured to follow these two men through a pivotal period in their lives. Because it's so involving, there are several sequences along the way that become powerfully wrenching. And the point isn't what we think it is.

themes, language, violence 1.Jul.26

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