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Aberdeen

1 disc
Region 1 USA/CA (info)

Writer-director Hans PetTer Molland (ZERO KELVIN) deftly combines two traditional cinematic genres--the road movie and the dysfunctional family drama--to create a moving character study that is entirely his own. Kaisa (Lena Headey) is a successful, hard-edged career woman living in London. Days after receiving a promotion, she is asked by her mother, Helen (Charlotte Rampling), to travel to Norway and retrieve her alcoholic father, Tomas (Stellan Skarsgaard), so that he can begin a rehabilitation program back in Aberdeen, Scotland. She skeptically agrees, knowing how difficult a task this will be. Unfortunately, it's worse than even Kaisa could have imagined, for Tomas's drunkenness prevents the two from stepping on board an airplane, forcing them to make the trek in an automobile. Along the way, they clash bitterly, nagging one another. But they find a guardian angel in Clive (Ian Hart), a kindhearted truck driver who takes a liking to Kaisa and keeps the pair on track. By the time they arrive in Aberdeen, they have discovered the real reason for Helen's request, which is more serious than they could have ever anticipated. Molland's visually striking, loosely autobiographical film features flawless performances from the four major players, including another tour-de-force from Skarsgaard.
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 910095-D
Credits

Stellan Skarsgaard, Stellan Skarsgard, Lena Headey, Ian Hart, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Hetherington
Critic Reviews

"...[A] small, beautifully acted film....The perfectly meshed lead performances evoke an intimacy that makes you squirm..."
New York Times
"...[Skarsgard's] portrait of a trembling alcoholic's shameful desperation is a disquieting testament to the demon in the bottle..."
Entertainment Weekly