When you are the grandchild of Liv Ullman and Ingmar Bergmann, a career in cinema seems like the most natural of paths. Such is the case for Armand writer / director, Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, who marks his feature length debut with another star of Scandi cinema, Renate Reinsve in the lead role. This tense and curious drama begins with such promise and atmosphere but, ultimately, squanders any meaningful plot points in favour of stylistic choices.
Elisabeth (Reinsve, on tremendous form) is summoned to her child Armand’s school. A serious allegation of sexual assault has been made against him by his friend, Jon. Faced with a panel of three teachers (played by Øystein Røger, Thea Lambrechts Vaulen and Vera Veljovic-Jovanovic) and Jon’s parents (Ellen Dorrit Petersen and Endre Hellestveit as Sarah and Anders, respectively), she initially refuses to believe that her six year old is capable of such an act. What transpires is a series of petty jealousies and adult rivalries, as well as the gradual unravelling of Elisabeth herself. Will the truth ever come out?
Ullmann Tøndel knows how to create a strange feeling that you can’t quite put your finger on. The film opens with ominous music and grey skies, the empty school corridors disorientating without their pupils. Close ups of former class photos seem to suggest something nefarious is going on. Shoes clatter along polished floors like the tick of a fast-approaching bomb. The school heating system is broken and the fire alarm periodically goes off, lending a sticky, on-edge ethos to proceedings. It all builds very nicely and adds layer upon thick layer of tension to the events in the classroom.
The performances are very strong, throughout. Renate Reinsve, who had every festival circuit enraptured with her lead in The Worst Person in the World, is equally strong here. She fuels the tension with her unusual responses to the allegations. A particularly uneasy scene sees her giggle uncontrollably to the point of slabbering. The longer she goes on, the stranger it feels for those both on- and off-screen. She oscillates between arrogant disbelief and aggressive denial. “Should we just be taking a six year old’s world?” she demands, refusing to be placated by empty terms such as “open dialogue” and “we hear you”. As the meeting progresses, her grip on reality deteriorates.
Ellen Dorrit Petersen, too, gives a powerful performance as Jon’s mother, Sarah. Seriously, it’s hard to find a dipped-chin death stare quite as potent as hers. As her story unravels, we see nothing but personal jealousies fuelling her desire for justice. Her breakdown, in the rain-battered playground, feels more like a personal defeat as opposed to a strong need for consequences. Thea Lambrechts Vaulen’s Sunna is constantly on edge, practically jumping in fright every time Elisabeth begins one of her outbursts. Vera Veljovic-Jovanovic’s Ajša cannot stop taking nosebleeds, stopping conversation from flowing.
And whilst Armand starts off strong, with the single location adding an acute sense of claustrophobia to proceedings, it doesn’t quite manage to live up to this. There are some really great ideas, here, but they are never quite fleshed out in a way that gives us, as viewers, any sort of meaningful conclusion. There’s a curious dance scene between Elisabeth and the school janitor and a strange, scary groping scene between Elisabeth and a group of parents. The former is light and whimsical, the latter is ugly and uncomfortable. It’s not clear why either sequence is included in a film that, on the whole, plays it straight.
Overall, Ullmann Tøndel makes a strong feature-length debut, despite the misfires that Armand takes in its third act. It’s an intriguing drama that does make some unusual choices but perhaps 
isn’t as bold, or as brave, as it wants to be. It starts off very strong and is bolstered by great performances but, unfortunately, becomes a little convoluted with no real pay off. We are left feeling every bit as unsure of the truth at the end of the film as we are at the beginning. It almost feels like the writer / director was torn between creating a “talking in rooms” type of drama and something more artistic and complex, choosing to fall messily in the middle. Sadly, not even Renate Reinsve can help Armand stay top of the class.
Armand is screening at the Belfast Film Festival. Get your tickets here.
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