My Father's Island- Glasgow Film Festival

Glasgow Film Festival hosted the UK premiere of Vladimir de Fontenay’s newest psychological-thriller My Father’s Island, previously released as Sukkwan Island when it first premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Cmon Cmon’s breakout star Woody Norman as British teenager Roy, who agrees to take a year-round trip to a secluded Norwegian island with his estranged father Tom played by Swann Arlaud of Anatomy of Fall fame.  Facing isolation and the harsh

conditions of their surroundings, the father-son duo develop a dangerous dynamic that slowly whittles down their trust until there's nothing left.

Woody Norman and Swann Arlaud in My Father's Island

I would by lying if I said Swann Arlaud’s casting wasn’t what attracted me to My Father’s Island. After

watching his subtly commanding performance in the Oscar nominated Anatomy of a Fall, I had high expectations going into his next major feature film performance. These expectations were exceeded with Arluad’s domineering yet sympathetic portrayal of Tom, an emotionally unstable father who longs to reconnect with his son. Throughout the film, it’s made clear that Tom may not be as stable as he first appears and what ensues is a tense yo-yoing of heart-warming and terrifying moments between the two main characters. Despite his fearsome presence on screen, you can’t help but feel sorry for Tom and his feeble attempts to bond with his son whether it’s swimming together in a lake or an ill-received attempt to talk about relationships and sex. When the first devastating plot twist hits, Arlaud captures the raw vulnerability of a father facing his worst nightmare.

Alongside Arlaud, Woody Norman provides an incredibly strong performance for such a young actor. Roy’s apprehensiveness towards his father combined with his typical teenage angst creates an incredible tension between the two characters that simmers throughout the film’s run time. Norman is able to hold his own in the numerous scenes where he is the only one on screen, including a truly devastating scene that left GFF audiences in shock. Teenage actors have been excelling in cinema recently, with Adolescent’s Owen Cooper sweeping at the awards season this year.  Norman’s impactful performance in My Father’s Island is sure to stand out against the growing list of exceptional performances by young actors.

Swann Arlaud as Tom in My Father's Island

My Father’s Island didn’t just stand out for its performances, the film’s setting added immense scope to the story. Filmed on location in minus thirty degree weather, the harsh climate and open landscape established Tom and Roy’s helplessness before anything majorly eventful even happened. Sweeping shots of Norwegian mountains and forests creates a dynamic cinematography when combined with recurring lighting choices of blue and orange. De Fontenay is able to able to create an intensely claustrophobic film, with creative camera work within their humble cabin that contrasts with its vast setting . Roy and Tom share a room in their cabin throughout the film and are almost always within earshot of each other, and when they’re not a thundering snow storm fills the screen instead. During a particularly tense scene during which Roy hears his father speaking in his sleep for the first time, this sense of claustrophobia truly sets in and it’s clear that there will be no easy escape for the teenage boy or the audience.

Woody Norman as Roy in My Father's Island

My Father’s Island was certainly a great film to start off my GFF viewing, with a beautiful combination of powerful performances and cinematography. The film is set to be released this summer in the UK, and it is definitely worth the big screen experience if you get the chance. Alongside an impressive FrightFest line up (as always), I’ll be covering the remainder of the festival including The Wizard of the Kremlin and Gus Van Sant’s newest film Dead Man’s Wire.