Editor’s Note: The following review contains descriptions of sexual assault and child abuse that some readers may find disturbing.Since her breakout debut in the highly acclaimed The Worst Person in the World, Renate Reinsve has slowly but surely made a name for herself as one of the most intriguing and exciting members of the acting world working today. The aforementioned film even won Reinsve a Best Actress award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and that has now translated into her breaking into domestic markets with A24’s A Different Man as well as Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent. Still, the actress has not forgotten her origins in art house cinema within her home country of Norway, as made abundantly evident by another Cannes-winning drama, Armand.
Armand is the feature film debut of writer and director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, who already has an intrinsic familial connection to the industry given he is the grandson of legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and acting icon Liv Ullmann. Though he may be a fresh face on the scene, Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s career as a feature filmmaker is already off to a strong start, as Armand has already won the prestigious Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival – a prize that makes a new filmmaking voice one to watch by default.
What Is ‘Armand’ About?

Single mother Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve) is urgently called to the primary school of her son Armand for an impromptu parent-teacher meeting. There, she is confronted by the parents of her son’s best friend, Jon, who make the shocking claim that not only was Jon assaulted by Armand, but he was also sexually abused by him. It’s an abhorrent allegation, especially considering the children in question are no older than six years old. While the school’s staff try to get to the bottom of what happened, Elisabeth finds herself defending her beloved son while grappling with the horrifying possibility that Jon is telling the truth.
At first, Armand’s premise and presentation seem incredibly simple. It follows a single mother, a worried couple, and a trio of staff members as they debate and investigate the truth behind these allegations. It’s pretty standard stuff that’s executed very well, primarily thanks to some immaculate performances and some great directorial decisions.However, at around Armand’s midpoint, things start to get a little weird. It’s around this point that the film starts to make a hard pivot into the surreal, with the film’s characters (mainly Elisabeth) experiencing elaborate hallucinations. These include sequences with Elisabeth walking in on an impromptu choir session and being held hostage by demonic versions of fellow parents. That latter example is a bit more on the nose, but some of the more surreal sequences do occasionally make it difficult to decipher what exactly Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel is trying to say.
Renate Reinsve Delivers Her Most Awe-Inspring Performance Yet in ‘Armand’

Image via IFC Films

Along with The Worst Person in the World and A Different Man, Renate Reinsve officially hits a hat trick with Armand. In fact, not only is Reinsve just as good here as she was in those two remarkable movies, but this may be the best performance of her career yet. Along with some great creative choices, like Elisabeth having absurdly loud footsteps that reverberate throughout the school’s halls, Reinsve also gets a chance to showcase a remarkable amount of creative range as the embattled mother.
The standout sequence that encapsulates everything great about Reinsve’s performance is about midway through the film, when Elisabeth starts to uncontrollably laugh while the school staff try to explain the severity of Armand’s alleged crimes and what they’ll need to do to make up for them. For what feels like an eternity, Reinsve laughs and laughs and laughs, falling further into a void of ambivalence. While some of Armand’s more ambitious creative sequences like this do tend to drag on for about a minute too long, the length of this sequence works because of how uncomfortable it is and the endlessly compelling performance from Reinsve. Not to mention, there’s also an impromptu dance sequence that might be the best surreal dance number in a movie since Another Round.
Renate Reinsve isn’t the only member of Armand’s cast who gets a chance to shine either. Ellen Dorrit Petersen and Endre Hellestveit are also stellar as Jon’s parents, Sarah and Anders, especially as the film slowly shares more information on their history and connections to Elisabeth and Armand. Speaking of the accused boy in question, neither Armand nor Jon ever makes a substantial on-screen appearance in the film, which is another good creative choice considering the uncertainty behind the event in question.
The Artistry of ‘Armand’ Occasionally Comes Into Conflict With its Story

Image via IFC Films

The most contentious aspect of Armand may very well be its ending, which does give a seemingly definitive answer to what actually happened between Armand and Jon. Some may like that there’s some level of closure, while others may have wished the events stayed more ambiguous. There are certainly plenty of ambiguous moments in the film already, with the surreal imagery and set pieces occasionally distracting from and not melding with a strong dramatic narrative. On rewatch, maybe these moments will slowly make more and more sense, but there’s also the possibility the opposite will happen and will become even more confusing.
The easy winner out of Armand is Renate Reinsve. She was already a rising star in the filmmaking industry but now she’s graduated into a veteran performer who warrants watching in whatever film she does next. The runner-up is Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel. While his methods for bringing this story to life are a bit overly perplexing and too head-scratching, there is a clear talent for filmmaking on display here that makes his career one to watch with great and serious interest.
Armand comes to theaters in the U.S. on February 14.

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Renate Reinsve is the top of the class in a fascinating directorial debut that is occasionally too confusing for its own good.

Pros

Renate Reinsve is absolutely astounding.
Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel establishes himself as an extremely exciting filmmaker
The laughing and dance sequences really stand out.

Cons

Some interpretive moments are a bit too unclear…
…but the resolution could have been more appropriately ambiguous.

Release Date

September 27, 2024

Director

Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel

Cast

Renate Reinsve
, Ellen Dorrit Petersen
, Endre Hellestveit
, Thea Lambrechts Vaulen
, Øystein Røger
, Vera Veljović-Jovanović
, Assad Siddique
, Patrice Demonière

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel

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