24/25
Official submission of Norway for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 97th Academy Awards in 2025
Scenario
Armand, a 6-year-old boy, is accused of crossing boundaries against his best friend at elementary school..
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.
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