The Inheritance is the dramatic tale of Christoffer (Ulrich Thomsen), a successful restauranteur whose father dies, leaving him the family's steelworks in his will. Christoffer and his young wife Maria (Lisa Werlinder) are torn away from the city as Christoffer begins the difficult task of pulling the steelworks out of a financial slump. It is a burden that will ultimately lead to years of pent up frustration exploding in a dizzy and spellbinding fury that will decide what path Christoffer chooses to take.
The Inheritance is filmed in the rough, gritty, digital style seen before in Open Water, the grainy print complimenting the industrial symbolism that has melted comfortably into the story line. Christoffer is seen through windows in moments of reflection, the glass acting almost as a barrier between Christoffer's repression of feeling and his desire to explode, which he eventually does - shattering a glass coffee table and screaming. The glass mirrors Christoffer's personality, two characters, at different times during the film, label him "as cold as ice". His deadened character is set well against the muted colours that make up the metallic mise-en-scene.
The film is straining for realism throughout. The characters exchange dialogue that suffers for its honesty, especially in the scene in which Christoffer confronts his wife over her cheating on him: the words are boringly familiar, cliché beyond being bearable, and the film suffers for it. This does not remove any credit from the actors, Ulrich Thomsen and Ghita Nørby (as Christoffer's iron willed mother) in particular, who give realistic and where appropriate, emotionally driven performances. The quality of the acting is allowed to ferment by the director's decision to shoot using two cameras during the scenes, both of which were filming through a long focal lens, meaning that the cameras did not need to be up close to the actors. This freedom allows improvisation to reign unrestricted, and the film both succeeds and suffers for the numbingly boring realism that this creates.
Numbing, dull and bland The Inheritance certainly is, but it meanders towards an explosive climax that leaves you stunned and unable to look away. The pace then returns to its normal slow drag, and the film fades away, leaving you feeling tired and empty, but certainly impacted upon. It is a film that could not have been improved, yet its story, setting, pace and realism all contribute to make this a very difficult film to watch.
Rating: 3/5
The Inheritance is filmed in the rough, gritty, digital style seen before in Open Water, the grainy print complimenting the industrial symbolism that has melted comfortably into the story line. Christoffer is seen through windows in moments of reflection, the glass acting almost as a barrier between Christoffer's repression of feeling and his desire to explode, which he eventually does - shattering a glass coffee table and screaming. The glass mirrors Christoffer's personality, two characters, at different times during the film, label him "as cold as ice". His deadened character is set well against the muted colours that make up the metallic mise-en-scene.
The film is straining for realism throughout. The characters exchange dialogue that suffers for its honesty, especially in the scene in which Christoffer confronts his wife over her cheating on him: the words are boringly familiar, cliché beyond being bearable, and the film suffers for it. This does not remove any credit from the actors, Ulrich Thomsen and Ghita Nørby (as Christoffer's iron willed mother) in particular, who give realistic and where appropriate, emotionally driven performances. The quality of the acting is allowed to ferment by the director's decision to shoot using two cameras during the scenes, both of which were filming through a long focal lens, meaning that the cameras did not need to be up close to the actors. This freedom allows improvisation to reign unrestricted, and the film both succeeds and suffers for the numbingly boring realism that this creates.
Numbing, dull and bland The Inheritance certainly is, but it meanders towards an explosive climax that leaves you stunned and unable to look away. The pace then returns to its normal slow drag, and the film fades away, leaving you feeling tired and empty, but certainly impacted upon. It is a film that could not have been improved, yet its story, setting, pace and realism all contribute to make this a very difficult film to watch.
Rating: 3/5