STICKS AND STONES
synopsis
Simon’s stressed-out mother has moved the family from Copenhagen to Vesterby, a small town somewhere out in the sticks. Feeling alone and like an outsider, Simon is befriended by classmate Bjarke, a charismatic alpha male who seems to have it all: a huge house, wealthy father and a sexy, chilled-out mum. A seemingly anodyne school project sees the teenage boys mentally unleashed, employing increasingly daring and confrontational methods to probe beneath the veneer of calm in their local community and, in time, at home. Using surprising and challenging plot devices, Skovbjerg powerfully explores the impact of dysfunctional family dynamics within a fractured society. The superb camerawork and sound design create a sense of immediacy and claustrophobia, perfectly highlighting the troubling undercurrents of violence, dangerous sexuality and economic unease.
international title: | Sticks and Stones |
original title: | Brakland |
country: | Denmark, Iceland |
year: | 2018 |
genre: | fiction |
directed by: | Martin Skovbjerg |
film run: | 93' |
screenplay: | Christian Gamst Miller-Harris |
cast: | Jonas Bjerril, Vilmer Trier Brøgger, Sophia Andersen Martinussen, Patricia Schumann, Uffe Rørbæk Madsen, Peder Thomas Pedersen, Emma Sehested Høeg, Benjamin Kitter, Natalia Reyes, Laura Elíasdóttir |
cinematography by: | David Gallego |
film editing: | Sofie Marie Kristensen |
art director: | Albert Sanvig Madsen |
music: | Av Av Av |
producer: | Eva Jakobsen, Mikkel Jersin, Katrin Pors |
co-producer: | Cristina Gallego, Lilja Ósk Snorradóttir |
production: | Snowglobe, Pegasus Pictures |
distributor: | Reel Pictures |