The Inheritance


Synopsis
After the suicide of his industrial tycoon father, Christoffer (Ulrich Thomsen) must return home and fulfill his familial obligation to the business while putting his own marriage and professional life in flux. (Unrated, 2004)


Observations
This film swept the Swedish equivalent of the Oscars, winning for best picture, best director, and numerous other accolades. It’s a very masculine film with some serious Shakespearian undertones. Christoffer is expected to move home to take the helm of the family business. He already has a life away from the family’s steel empire with a beautiful Shakespearian actress wife, Maria, (played by Lisa Werlinder). The sense of duty to the family that Christoffer feels, that brings him back into the matriarchal fold, is a feeling that most Americans find hard to relate to. Though this movie is a masterpiece – impeccable acting, stunning camera work, strong and elegant plot, it just fell flat for me.

I didn’t know whether to hate Christoffer or to pity him, and that direction was pleasantly ambiguous. Was I supposed to see how work slowly erodes our humanity, our family, our friends, our colleagues? Maybe. But I did learn that even Swedish people have brown servants (a nanny and a housekeeper in this film). I think that the final shred of Christoffer’s humanity is destroyed when he assaults the housekeeper. At first this seemed completely out of character, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as the ultimate way to prove to the viewer that any piece of the old Christoffer is dead. What was the catalyst for him to attempt the rape of the housekeeper? Her menialness? The idea that she could be paid off? Or good old Shakespearian hubris? You make the call.

If you are interested in a Swedish film, take this time to watch The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman. First off, it will increase your movie knowledge ten-fold because this film is a cornerstone of 20th century American and foreign cinema and gets referenced everywhere. And though it may not make a great date flick, it might make you feel a little smarter to say you’ve seen an Ingmar Bergman film.

Rating:
Amazon's entry for The Inheritance