Submarino

Colour, 35 mm
Denmark, 2010, 110 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

In his sixth feature film, director Thomas Vinterberg returns to his directing origins – uncompromising realism and an interest in dysfunctional family relationships. Based on the novel by young Danish writer Jonas T. Bengtsson, the story focuses on two brothers who were marked in childhood by an alcoholic mother and feelings of guilt over a tragic event they were involved in. Now adults, they live in the bleak world of Copenhagen’s suburbs among lost souls trying to keep their heads above water (the film’s title refers to a kind of torture in which the victim’s head is held under water to the point of drowning). Fresh out of prison, Nick tries to survive with the help of beer and weightlifting, compensating for his sense of loss by caring for the outsiders around him. The only one he can’t reach is his younger brother, who, after the death of his wife, is the lone caretaker of his little boy Martin. Will the brothers find their way back to each other before it’s too late?

About the director

Thomas Vinterberg (b. 1969, Copenhagen) shot his first film at age 16, and three years later he was accepted to The National Film School of Denmark as its then youngest student. In 1995 he and Lars von Trier came out with the Dogma Manifesto, and Vinterberg’s second feature, The Celebration, (Festen, 1998), shot according to the rules of the manifesto, took the Jury Prize at the Cannes IFF. Vinterberg then shot two English language movies: It’s All About Love (2003) and Dear Wendy (2005 – Best Direction at the Moscow IFF). He returned to Denmark in 2007 with the comedy When a Man Comes Home (En mand kommer hjem). He has also shot music videos for Blur and Metallica. In March 2010 Vinterberg premiered a production of his play Das Begräbnis (The Funeral) at Vienna’s Burgtheater, his first time directing for the stage.