Aberdeen (2001)

Synopsis: Kaisa (Lena Headey) is a hard-edged, feisty young Scottish woman basking in the attention of her co-workers as they celebrate her recent promotion at their highly respected London law firm. The next morning, the telephone rings and an... Kaisa (Lena Headey) is a hard-edged, feisty young Scottish woman basking in the attention of her co-workers as they celebrate her recent promotion at their highly respected London law firm. The next morning, the telephone rings and an agitated Kaisa orders her one-night-stand to hit the road. Her mother, Helen (Charlotte Rampling), is calling with an unusual request: she wants Kaisa to go to Norway, pick up her alcoholic father, Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård), and bring him back to Aberdeen, where he has promised to try an experimental detox program. The lure of the reward, Tomas' vintage Alfa Romeo, outweighs Kaisa's discomfort with seeing the man who abandoned her family 10 years earlier.

As expected, the reunion is more bitter than sweet. But what Kaisa doesn't expect is the tumultuous series of events that follow. Tomas is unimpressed with Kaisa's fancy suits and sharp tongue. He criticizes her for being too "angry and masculine." Kaisa, in turn, is disgusted with the odious drunkard who steals her money, vomits on her designer clothes, and to her surprise, has no intention of beginning a detox program and never did. Kaisa's mother has ambushed her, and when Kaisa learns why, she is even more desperate to complete her mission. After a heart-wrenching scene at the Oslo airport where an uptight airline employee prevents Kaisa and her father from boarding their flight due to Tomas' apparent insobriety, the unlikely couple is to spend much more time together than they had hoped - as they make the long journey to Scotland by car. Along the way, they meet Clive (Ian Hart), who is pivotal in helping Kaisa let down her emotional defenses and accept her father back into her life.

Aberdeen is a modern, raw, pitch-black comedy, driven by deadly wit and heightened dramatic dialogue. Central to the film's appeal is director Hans Petter Moland's ability to see both sides of his characters' behavior. Both Kaisa and Tomas prefer to judge one another than examine themselves. Moland's balanced approach gives the film a captivating, abrasive edge. No one is a victim; no one is simply an opportunist. Everyone is suspect. -- © 2001 First Run Features [More]

Starring: Stellan Skarsgaard, Lena Headey, Ian Hart, Charlotte Rampling

Starring: Stellan Skarsgaard, Lena Headey, Ian Hart, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Hetherington

Director: Hans PetTer Moland

Director: Hans PetTer Moland
Screenwriter: Lars Bill Lundholm, Hans PetTer Moland
Producer: Tom Remlov, Petter J. Borgli
Composer: Zbigniew Preisner
Studio: First Run Features

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