Keswick Film Festival

Synopsis

Our opening film this year is described as a comedy drama, which may surprise you when I tell you the main character, Inger, is schizophrenic. She lives in a care home, under a lot of Valium, until her sister, Ellen, decides a road trip to Paris would do her good. So, a road movie, comedy drama; does it work?

The answer is a very big YES. Ellen and her husband Vagn book the three of them on a coach tour from Denmark to Paris, where Inger at first struggles to cope. One of her biggest problems turns out to be the attitude of some of the fellow travellers, especially Andreas who, in trying to 'protect' his son Christian from Inger, personifies many of our attitudes to 'different' people.

As the film moves on, and the Valium wares off, we begin to see more of the real Inger, who surprises everyone by speaking French fluently. With Christian's help, she goes off on a journey of her own...

A comedy, yes - there are some very funny scenes - but also an indictment on how badly we understand schizophrenia - there are nearly 700,000 people with it in the UK alone.

This is helped along the way by an amazing performance from the star, Sofie Gråbøl, "who inhabits Inger with grace. Using facial expressions and body language, she brings to life the character's mood swings, her divided impulses toward anxiety and adventure. Grabol's performance shines" - Natalia Winkelman, New York Times.