12/17
Norway’s official entry for 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 97th Academy Awards 2025
Story
Armand, a 6-year-old boy, is accused of crossing the line against his best friend in 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 education systems, and their treatment of " unfortunate case” between two 6-year-old boys
Renate Reinsve is the eccentric mother of Armand, the alleged perpetrator in the aforementioned incident, and while she finds herself under close scrutiny by her son’s teacher, the school administration and the parents of another boy, the film slowly sinks into a relational abyss – a limbo from which nothing good can emerge.
Ullman Tønder’s purpose and position are strong, as is his artistic expression, which is visibly inspired by the works of his grandfather, and perhaps to some extent by Kubrick
And although the narrative as such feels uneven at times, and the film unevenly edited, Armand is in many ways a return and homage to pure cinematography, for which it should be applauded.
