Helene, a mother of two young children is unable to come to terms with the loss of her husband in a drowning incident. She is steadfast in her conviction that Robert is alive. At a concert she comes across Torben who is a spitting image of Robert. When Torben fails to recognize her she attributes it to amnesia. Torben in turn thinks it's a game of seduction and decides to play along.
As the story unfolds we are gradually let in to the fact that Helene and Roberts did not have a happy married life. Suddenly many questions tumble into your mind. What exactly happened to Robert? Why is Helene holding on to the memory of Robert? What are the feelings in Helene's mind – grief or guilt? The possibilities are several and the film only obliquely hints at them. If I mention them here they would be spoilers.
The end is totally unexpected and raises fresh questions. Slow paced and beautifully shot this intensely atmospheric and open ended film grows on you and lingers on your palate long after the lights have come on. Slotting the film into thriller genre would be an injustice to the director. Much more than a thriller, it creates illusions as much in our mind as in Helene's.
As the story unfolds we are gradually let in to the fact that Helene and Roberts did not have a happy married life. Suddenly many questions tumble into your mind. What exactly happened to Robert? Why is Helene holding on to the memory of Robert? What are the feelings in Helene's mind – grief or guilt? The possibilities are several and the film only obliquely hints at them. If I mention them here they would be spoilers.
The end is totally unexpected and raises fresh questions. Slow paced and beautifully shot this intensely atmospheric and open ended film grows on you and lingers on your palate long after the lights have come on. Slotting the film into thriller genre would be an injustice to the director. Much more than a thriller, it creates illusions as much in our mind as in Helene's.
