As I was watching this film, I was berating myself for my carelessness. I was sure Aberdeen was another movie by the director of that film I hated: Breaking the Waves. Stellan Skarsgard, sordid Scotland, etc., these two films have much in common. Hans Petter Moland clearly admires Lars von Trier's earlier film.
Aberdeen is an ambitious film but Moland is too inexperienced to provide the imaginative counterpoint the story requires. Occasionally, scenes seem clumsily attenuated, or awkwardly deflated, I kept waiting for the film to find its rhythm. It never does.
The performances are good, but Lena Headey can't do for Aberdeen what Emily Watson did for Breaking the Waves, that is, make it worth watching.
Aberdeen is an ambitious film but Moland is too inexperienced to provide the imaginative counterpoint the story requires. Occasionally, scenes seem clumsily attenuated, or awkwardly deflated, I kept waiting for the film to find its rhythm. It never does.
The performances are good, but Lena Headey can't do for Aberdeen what Emily Watson did for Breaking the Waves, that is, make it worth watching.