Henny and Agnes were once very close until disaster tore them apart. Now, Henny has returned to Agnes’ life and asks her for a favor: to help plot the murder of her husband, David.
A tiny boat comes to a halt over the serene Mediterranean sea. A man drops a plastic-wrapped object into the water, watching it sink to the bottom. Next, a narrator discusses the limitations of human evolution, that no matter how advanced we are, there’s a primal rage lying within our reptilian brain. The screenplay is based on a collection of stories by renowned Swedish crime writer Håkan Nesser and is adapted by Daniel Alfredson (“The Girl Who Played with Fire,” “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”).
The story opens with Henry (Benno Fürmann), approaching a marvelous isolated home. The home is owned by Henderson (Ben Kingsley) who’s misanthropic, yet a very successful writer. Henry is visiting to get help with a deceased author’s manuscript and as he recounts the plot, the story begins to unfold on the screen. The manuscript is said to contain answers to a mysterious suicide and a potential murder. Playing dual roles, Fürmann also portrays David in the draft’s flashbacks. David and his wife Eva (Tuva Novotny) are on a road trip to Switzerland. During the car ride, she reveals she’s pregnant with her therapist’s child and is planning to leave David after their vacation. His reaction is one of disbelief and he internalizes the resentment. Not long after this revelation, Eva dies in a car accident, when her car brakes failed, plunging to her death.
A lot of this film seems to rely on aesthetics where the darkness lies hidden within whether it’s a person, a book, or say a body of water. Characters discuss their emotions and the plot more than emoting. The locations are fabulous: a Mediterranean island, pristine Swiss Alps, and a fictional Northern European town that looked to be in Belgium. I would love to live in any of the wonderful locations, the isolated villa, Henry’s rustically modern flat, and the Swiss hotel nestled in the Alps.
The plot is tough to follow and I found myself frustrated trying. Alfredson and his talented Polish cinematographer, Pawel Edelman, frame the story like a decadent spy novel. Ultimately, it’s a shame, if only the material was as strong as the visuals. The adaptation from Aflredson and his co-writer Birgitta Bogenhielm feels like a rough draft that needs a revision or maybe some advice from a cynical isolated writer.
Now playing in select theaters and On-Demand
