NORW\Y
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
BEWARE OF CHILDREN Barn Director: Dag Johan Haugerud CAST: Henriette Steenstrup, Jan Gunnar Røise, Thorbjørn Harr, Brynjar Åbel Bandlien 2019 | 157 min | Drama | 18+ Norway, Sweden | Norwegian with English subtitles
A thought-provoking drama, Beware of Children is a fascinating exploration of guilt, grief and communication issues as it traces the dramatic aftermath of a tragic event in a middle-class Oslo suburb. During a break at school, 13-year-old Lykke, the daughter of a prominent Labour Party politician, seriously injures her classmate Jamie, the son of a high-profile, right-wing politician. This is the starting point of this multi-layered and complex drama where everyone - teachers, students, parents - becomes engaged in judging and questioning each other about the tragedy: what happened, how could it have been avoided, who is to blame? When contradicting versions of what transpired arise, Liv, the school’s principal and secret lover of Jamie’s father, must find the strength to confront a community in distress and face her own highly conflicted emotions. Norwegian novelist and filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud’s Beware of Children is marked by morally complex situations and features a cast of realistic, sympathetic and multidimensional characters. As we experience how the community relates to the incident, the film asks us what we expect from our children in society today.
“It’s the kind of unassuming-looking drama that slowly seeps into your bones.” Hollywood Reporter WINNER - Göteborg Film Festival 2020 - Best Nordic Film, Best Acting WINNER - Nordic Council 2020 - Nordic Council Film Prize WINNER - Thessaloniki Film Festival 2019 - FIRPRESCI Prize, Human Values Award
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