Screened as part of NZIFF 2021

Wildland 2020

Kød & blod

Directed by Jeanette Nordahl Widescreen

Borgen and Duke of Burgundy star Sidse Babett Knudsen is the imperious matriarch of a criminal empire in this fleet, brutal crime drama about bad luck and bad families from debut director Jeanette Nordahl.

Nov 05

The Roxy Cinema 1

Nov 10

The Roxy Cinema 1

Nov 11

Light House Cinema Petone

Nov 18

Light House Cinema Petone

Nov 19
Sold Out

Light House Cinema Cuba

Denmark In Danish with English subtitles
89 minutes DCP

Rent

Director

Cast

Sandra Guldberg Kampp
,
Sidse Babett Knudsen
,
Joachim Fjelstrup

Producers

Eva Jakobsen
,
Katrin Pors
,
Mikkel Jersin

Screenplay

Ingeborg Topsøe

Cinematography

David Gallego

Editor

Michael Aaglund

Music

Puce Mary

Festivals

Berlin 2020

Elsewhere

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

Screening With This Feature

Munkie 2021

Director/Screenplay

Cast

Xana Tang, Park Wing Leung, Daniel Lee

Producer

Rachel Fawcett
Aotearoa New Zealand In Cantonese and English with English subtitles
15 minutes

Rose’s violent plan for revenge against her domineering “tiger parents” spins wildly out of control.