What Remains review – sky squid confounds Stellan Skarsgård in true-life Scandi noir
![What Remains review – sky squid confounds Stellan Skarsgård in true-life Scandi noir](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/924860bb3eaaf9b1ff573acdb636d3f9c2bdb4a9/118_0_2765_1659/master/2765.jpg?width=460&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c4e60663a2ead5546a0f827f923a4bbc)
Skarsgård and his son Gustaf sparkle in Ran Huang’s rarefied film, but can’t rescue this weirdly hallucinatory murder mystery from falling flat
This intense psychological drama has a squid in the sky problem. Specifically it’s that, by its halfway point, Ran Huang’s rarefied Scandinavian crime feature has fully established a predilection for spooky visual motifs, including eerie establishing shots and nocturnal scenes so murky it’s hard to know what’s going on (although the keening, discordant musical soundtrack suggests it’s probably something bad). And then seemingly out of nowhere, after a particularly emotional moment, there’s a cut to a forest treeline where some kind of cephalopod is floating in the sky, tentacles waving like one of those plastic “sky dancers” often seen in American car dealerships’ parking lots. Is it supposed to be a hallucination of the main character, Mats Lake (Gustaf Skarsgård), a troubled psychiatric patient who has recently confessed to a string of murders? Immediately after the squid shot, which lasts all of 12 seconds, the next one is of an impassive policeman smoking a cigarette, looking at the sky. Is he the one who sees the giant sea creature up there, but is somehow not even bothered? Is it supposed to be a metaphor? Or one of those fancy film-school distancing effects?
Given that the beastie is never explained, I’m guessing it’s meant to be a vexingly opaque symbol of what’s going on in the film itself. Basically, here is something bizarre and totally inexplicable happening in the peaceful Scandinavian countryside that’s so odd that nobody can process it – so no one comments on it, as if it’s not even happening. That would apply equally to the child murders Mats lays claim to, as well as the sexual abuse he claims his own father subjected him to when he was a child – abuse that his brother, Ralf (Magnus Krepper), does not recall at all. But Mats’ therapist, Anna Rudebeck (Andrea Riseborough), believes what Mats is saying, as does police detective Soren Rank (Stellan Skarsgård). Their faith in Mats as both perpetrator and victim is so profound that, when the evidence starts looking shaky and Mats fails to lead the police to a single victim’s body, they go on believing in him for reasons connected to their own troubled psyches.
Continue reading...Date: |
Filter
-
The Guardian - World
Travelling by Ann Powers review – a dazzling life of Joni Mitchell
A sweeping study of Mitchell’s life and work that swerves familiar touchstones to create a vibrant, multi-faceted portrait. She felt like a cellophane wrapper on a packet of cigarettes. Every Joni Mitchell fan has heard this description before; ... -
BBC News - Top stories
Watch: Mount Etna spits lava into the night sky
Europe’s tallest active volcano roared as it spewed lava from one of its largest craters. -
Yahoo News - World
Never-before-seen vampire squid species discovered in twilight zone of South China Sea
China -
ESPN - Sports
$25 hot dogs, sky-high ticket prices: Lack of fans shows Copa is too expensive
For years, the U.S. has been viewed as some sort of "golden goose" by world soccer. This Copa, however, has shown that there is a ceiling on what fans are willing to pay. -
The Wall Street Journal - World
'Raffaella' Review: An Enchanted Elegy
At the Morris Performing Arts Center, this fairytale ballet—commissioned by the Stroik family to honor their late daughter, Raffaella—is a tribute to the young dancer’s life and legacy. -
GameSpot - Tech
Zenless Zone Zero Review
Zenless Zone Zero is easily the most stylish entry in HoYoverse's fast-growing catalog of free-to-play RPGs. -
The Wall Street Journal - World
'Reds' Review: Communism in the U.S.A.
The Soviet Union cast a long shadow over American fellow travelers, who contorted their beliefs to follow the party. -
The Wall Street Journal - World
Euro Corporate Bond Supply Expected to Decline in Second Half of 2024
Rising geopolitical concerns and the upcoming U.S. elections are likely to limit issuance of euro-denominated corporate bonds in the second half, ING said. -
NBC News - Top stories
Australian police find remains of girl attacked by a crocodile
Police in northern Australia said Thursday they had found the remains of a 12-year-old girl who was reportedly snatched by a crocodile earlier this week. -
The Wall Street Journal - World
'Bodies in the Water' Review: Awash in Questions
In this true-crime documentary from ID, a fisherman’s horrifying find off the New Jersey shore sends law enforcement on a tortuous journey to solve the murder of a high-school student.
More from The Guardian
-
The Guardian - World
Rachel Reeves becomes UK’s first female chancellor with Angela Rayner deputy PM as Keir Starmer names cabinet – election live
Rachel Reeves becomes first woman to hold post in 800-years as Angela Rayner named secretary of state for levelling up. UK general election results 2024: live trackerHow Labour did it: inside the campaign that led to ‘Starmergeddon’Clive Myrie is ... -
The Guardian - World
Sunak axed, the cast eviscerated: at last, it’s the Tories’ season finale | Marina Hyde
It was worthy of a TV special. Truss, Rees-Mogg, Shapps, Liam Fox: so many erased after 14 years of dystopian soap opera. And not a moist eye in the house. Well, if you’re just joining us, the nation has delivered an all-night victim impact ... -
The Guardian - World
How Labour did it: inside the campaign that led to ‘Starmergeddon’
Each decision made in ‘the cell’ was framed by three key messages and pushed along by a well disciplined operation. General election 2024: live newsUK general election results live trackerAs the election campaign entered its final week, staff at ... -
The Guardian - World
The Guardian view on Labour’s landslide: becoming the change the country needs | Editorial
Sir Keir Starmer has the Commons strength to be daring. That means fulfilling hopes he did little to excite. “We ran as a changed Labour party,” declared Sir Keir Starmer on Friday morning, shortly after Rishi Sunak publicly conceded defeat, “and ... -
The Guardian - World
‘Goodwill on all sides’: transfer of UK power the antithesis of last US election
Donald Trump refused to concede and incited riots, but Rishi Sunak conducted himself with civility and respect. UK general election: live news“Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides,” a gracious ...United Kingdom