Wildland 2020

At first glance, Wildland seems to share a lot of its DNA with David Michôd’s Australian crime classic Animal Kingdom. After the death of her mother, a teenager is adopted into her estranged aunt’s family, only to discover the household, which includes three vicious sons, is at the centre of a ruthless criminal organisation. The comparisons complement Wildland, matching its dramatic intensity, morphing into a brutal, laser-focused and pulse-racing thriller.

Borgen star Sidse Babett Knudsen, as the terrifying mother superior keeping three wayward sons in check, is magnificent, as is newcomer Sandra Guldberg Kampp as 17-year-old Ida in what is sure to be a star-making turn.Throughout, Jeanette Nordahl’s direction is assured and intricate, following Ida as she struggles with conflicting feelings of moral disgust and a strange, intoxicating attraction to the darker side of the family’s existence.

The film’s fascinating exploration of the circularity of fate leads to a shocking yet satisfying conclusion that brings the film full-circle, from death to life, from bad beginnings to further misfortune. — Tom Augustine

“...like any dysfunctioning crime family, the one in Wildland is a mix of tenderness and cruelty, and Nordahl does a great job showing how Bobil [is] conflicted as both a mob boss and a mother. The presence of Ida makes that position all the more tenuous, and the clan will gradually unravel at the young girl’s hands... Nordahl [does] a good job staging the handful of action scenes with stark and brutal intensity, building toward a finale where the family’s wicked ways come back to bite them big time.” — Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter