Samenvattingen(1)
Karitas is a single mother of four who desperately tries to make ends meet. Fighting a losing battle with her ex-husband for custody over her three daughters, she's oblivious to what's going on with her twelve year old son Gudmund, a victim of brutal bullying at school and whose life is on the fast track to destruction. Gudmund's only friend in the world is Marinó, a schizophrenic in his forties, who lives with his mother in the same apartment building. When Marinó realizes that his mother has secretly been dating a stranger, Marino starts to lose grip on reality. Gardar is an underworld enforcer who makes a mess at work and as a result his twin brother Georg is beaten up. Exiled both from the underworld and his family, Gardar has to make a fresh start in life. He decided to seek out his family, Gardar has to make a fresh start in life. He decided to seek out his son Gudmund whom he has never seen but the straight and narrow is a though path to follow. (officiële tekst van distribiteur)
(meer)Recensie (2)
Children definitely has that distinct Scandinavian vibe, filled with bleak moments and moody black-and-white shots. But I have to admit, the core idea of the film didn’t sit well with me. The lack of a strong script leaves the characters just wandering around, having ordinary conversations, and for a long time, not much really happens. As much as I love Icelandic cinema, this one left me feeling pretty bored.
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The film Children is being affected by the same disease as many other similarly constructed films – the effort to find a powerful moment of catharsis in a loosely branched plot that will reverse everything. And to the great detriment of Bragason's film, his efforts are aimed at a positive culmination. What may look witty on paper, however, sounds improbable and even comically untrustworthy in the film. Where openness would clearly benefit Children, there is a well-worked and scarcely believable point that unnecessarily undermines the film's pillar – the characters. If they have so far seemed ambivalent and unschematic, the climax makes them insensitively passive pawns in a calculated screenwriter's play. The adults become incompetent children at the worst moment.
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