‘Armand’ Review: Renate Reinsve Delivers a Breakdown

Armanddirector Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel is the grandson of nine-time Oscar nominated Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries) and two-time Oscar nominated acting icon Liv Ullmann. If you think that gives you some idea of what you’re getting with Armand, you’d only be half right. Ullmann Tøndel’s pressure cooker drama contains elements that draw a direct line to the existential themes, finely composed visuals, and character intimacy of his grandparents’ all-time classics. But Ullmann Tøndel, in taking a promising first step towards establishing himself as a director to watch, adds bits of satirical humor, commentary on modern institutional failings, and nail-biting tension. It’s a mix that pays increasingly fewer dividends as it rolls along, but the ride is never less than provocative and completely immersive.


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