16/20
Norway’s official submission for the “Best International Feature Film” category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025
Synopsis
Armand, a 6-year-old boy, is accused of crossing boundaries with his best friend in elementary school.
I can see why it won the Camera d’Or at Cannes 2024, but for the love of my life I couldn’t watch the film past the halfway point
A famous single mother is called to her son’s school by an incompetent pair of teachers and administrators to discuss an incident involving her son and his friend.
It’s a great premise and Armand had my attention, also thanks to the fabulous opening scene and overall camerawork up until that point
But then it meanders into self-indulgent territory and I still have no idea what the director was going for, with a mix of abrupt dance sequences and an actor laughing for 3 minutes straight.
(Watched at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival)
That’s where it all started and the case became frustrating after that and never recovered.