Basic plotline:-
Dying Mum (Charlotte Rampling) implores career daughter Kaisa (Lena Headey,strong performance) to bring alcoholic estranged Dad (or is he REALLY Dad?)),working the rigs off Norway,back to her bedside.
Road movie of dysfunctional family ensues during which Kaisa's own dependence (coke habit) emerges, which eventually enables Dad (Stellan Skaarsgaard) to do something like the right thing by his family,and secures a rite of passage for Kaisa and himself.Along the way,lorry-driver Clive (Ian Hart) acts as a kind of delivering angel/romantic interest.
So a kind of study of fragile families and modern dysfunctions,for which Stina would be the perfect soundtrack,you'd think.Well actually she only gets brief look-ins with the little piano-led theme that you're probably familiar with.And always to supplement the scenes of 'happy childhood reminiscence',so that the piano figure (and Stina's voice) are clearly being used to evoke a kind of nursery quality.The full song comes over the closing titles,acting as a kind of summary of the movie,thus suggesting that the innocence of childhood has been fulfilled with experience.Or something like that.
The movie itself was pretty good and the scenes of graphic realism (Dad having the DTs,Dad and daughter getting beaten up by a bunch of yuppie thugs) were done particularly well,but I didn't end up having much sympathy with any of the characters.It's also far from my favourite piece of music featuring Stina.
Anyone else seen it?
