Aberdeen (2000) User Reviews

Riveting, spellbinding, and not for everyone

[=G= · 8/10 · 24 July 2002]

In "Aberdeen", a young London attorney (Headey) goes to Norway to retrieve her long estranged alcoholic father (Skarsgard) and escort him to Aberdeen, Scotland for a last visit with her dying mother. Along the way, a simple journey becomes an odyssey of discovery as the 15 year separated father and daughter get to know the best and the worst of each other. The principals in this harsh, bitter, poignant, and sincere drama bust some serious acting chops as they flesh out their characters with shades of anger, hostility, vulnerability, courage, and quiet caring. A beautiful film for those into serious no frills drama. (B+)

Note - Shame on Tivo for giving this critically acclaimed audience pleaser a meager two stars.

Harsh reality

[JesNollie · 7/10 · 27 June 2002]

A wonderfully written and acted, but depressing road trip movie. As a favor to her dying mother, a young woman must find her alcoholic father (played by Stellen Skarsgard, who is heart-wrenchingly convincing in the role), who abandoned them when she was a child. As they travel together, they must face both the past and present. But don't expect a Hollywood feel-good reunion movie, this is much more harsh and real.

Great film, brilliant cast

[AKS-6 · 8/10 · 23 May 2001]

A Norwegian film in English, with a Swedish actor in a leading role. International, to say the least. Aberdeen is a touching, funny and sad film about relationships. Mainly the relationship between parents and children. Stellan Skarsgård, one of the greatest actors in the world, is as brilliant as ever. He plays drunk most of the time, but he does it in a subtle way. When his character is humiliated because he needs a beer you can feel it through the screen. Skarsgård is a wonderful actor. Ian Hart is also a great actor and I always enjoy watching him in a film. Lena Headey impressed me with a nuanced and touching performance.

Aberdeen is a great film and the cast is brilliant. (8/10)

Heart wrenching film

[fergie12345 · 15 January 2004]

Heart wrenching film that knocks you down, then lifts you up only to knock you down again. It is tough to see the desperate alcoholism of Tomas, particularly in the scene where he is mocked, bullied, and beaten up by well dressed drunken strangers whom he approaches to buy cans of beer.

Stellan Skarsgård is brilliant as the drunken father, and so is Ian Hart as the saintly lorry driver. This film will give you an insight into the dynamics of a family ripped apart by addiction and our need to see dignity in those closest to us.

There were a couple of things that could have improved this film for me. Firstly, the principle character, Kaisas scottish accent is somewhat unconvincing. Secondly, all urban scenes in the odyssey through Britain from Harrow to Aberdeen, are shot in the city centre and west end of Glasgow. This really affected the realism and appeal of the film for me.

Watch for the story, not for anything about Scotland

[leumas3765 · 7/10 · 30 March 2006]

A friend recommended this movie to me to get a glimpse of what modern life is like in Scotland. After watching it, I must say I wouldn't give the same recommendation. Very little of the movie has much to do with Scotland (probably because it was made by Norwegians, according to other posts) and the part it did show wasn't particularly flattering. It mostly left me wondering just how rampant gangs of clean-cut hooligans really are in Scotland.

The title "Aberdeen" is a throwaway too. Yes, it's the final destination for the father/daughter combination, but virtually all of the movie takes place elsewhere. However, I was at a loss to suggest a better title. "Redemption" or "Reconciliation" are just as vague and even more bland.

Several elements peg "Aberdeen" squarely as a foreign movie. First, there is a lot more nudity (both sexual and non-sexual) than a similar American movie would warrant. Second, the pacing is much slower than many Americans have the patience for. Finally, the ending has such a wrinkle that I felt relieved that I hadn't wasted a night watching this thing. I include this as a foreign element only because there had to be a reason for importing this movie here, outside of appeasing Stellan Skaarsgard fans.

I won't reveal anything about the ending, since the surprise of it was the entire reason I enjoyed this movie. Had I already known what was coming, I probably would have enjoyed the acting and character development, but mostly felt like I wasted a night watching a really slow movie.

Superlative performances, great storyline - one of the best of the year

[timelord-3 · 9/10 · 19 May 2001]

Showing as part of the European Film Festival currently in Brisbane, Aberdeen is a strong, narrative driven movie of a daughter sent to Norway by her dying mother to bring back her father so that the terminally ill mother can see him and her for the last time before she dies.

All the performances in this stellar outing are first class. Stellan Skarsgård as the alcoholic, former oil rig working father is simply outstanding. He plays a man losing a battle with the bottle so convincingly that it makes you seriously wonder whether he has personal experience on which to draw from for his performance.

Charlotte Rampling plays the cancer-stricken mother; even though she spends the majority of the movie talking over the phone from her hospital bed she brings to the character a dignity that is totally believable.

Ian Hart plays a English truck driver who stumbles across the daughter and father returning home from Norway and helps them out. With his shaved head I hardly recognised this veteran actor - but he again puts in another superlative performance as he comes to grips with the dynamics at play in this unique family

But the standout performance is that of Lena Headey, playing the daughter entrusted with the task of bringing her errant father to Aberdeen. She's also someone battling with their demons - she is a drug addict, nympho and does not take to trusting people easily. Having to bring home her father (whom she hates) to a mother (whom she also hates) is yet another thing to speak poorly of and bemoan her lack of a life.

I thought Lena was a relative newcomer to the acting scene - but a cursory look at IMDB revealed a wealth of acting gigs that I was not aware of. But 'Aberdeen' has to be one of her first leading roles; she is one to look out for in the future.

She won the Silver Iris award for Best Actress at the Brussell Film Festival last year.

The movie is described as a 'dark road movie'. Now when I watched it it didn't appear particularly dark - perhaps that says more about what I class as 'dark' in a movie than the tag line writer for these movies! It certainly is 'real', and 'gritty'.

If you get a chance to see this one when the festival rolls into town (some states haven't got it yet so you may still get a chance) you wouldn't go far wrong with this as one of your choices.

9 out of 10.

it's Breaking the Waves all over again

[graycat-1 · 7/10 · 13 November 2002]

As I was watching this film, I was berating myself for my carelessness. I was sure Aberdeen was another movie by the director of that film I hated: Breaking the Waves. Stellan Skarsgard, sordid Scotland, etc., these two films have much in common. Hans Petter Moland clearly admires Lars von Trier's earlier film.

Aberdeen is an ambitious film but Moland is too inexperienced to provide the imaginative counterpoint the story requires. Occasionally, scenes seem clumsily attenuated, or awkwardly deflated, I kept waiting for the film to find its rhythm. It never does.

The performances are good, but Lena Headey can't do for Aberdeen what Emily Watson did for Breaking the Waves, that is, make it worth watching.

Every Alcoholic shoud see this one

[odaat · 10/10 · 5 February 2002]

Not always easy to watch as an alcoholic hits his bottom to go with his daughter to visit her dying mother. I was moved and just knew whoever wrote and or directed this movie knew about alcoholism, as turned out to be the case when I watched an interview after the movie on the independent channel. There is a haunting and very beautiful theme song in this movie. I just wish it was releashed on a sound track!

A wonderful movie

[besherat · 7/10 · 27 June 2018]

A good movie with a wonderful actor Stellan Skarsgård. and Lena Headey was excellent too. Hans Petter Moland did it well,but not as good as he did in " The beautiful country ".

Agreed - Heart wrenching film

[delphine090 · 10/10 · 12 May 2005]

I came upon this film by accident while scouting for Charlotte Rampling films. Ms. Rampling is only in a few scenes, but I was so mesmerized by the rest of the cast that it didn't matter. Someone said that Stellan Skarsgård is "the best actor ever". I can't attest to that since I'm learning via films like this that we don't see the best there is if we don't scour art houses. He does, however, give a performance that would be considered Oscar worthy had the film been more mainstream (i.e. if it had been seen by more people). Skarsgård's acting is unflinching, from inside the character, and technique free. We need to see more of him in lead roles.

The entire cast is excellent. So much of the story is told without words - a towel wrapped around a waist instead of covering breasts, a man secretly observing his daughter's pain, a lover's halting, wordless goodbye, characters' emotions playing subtly across their faces. The story is wrenching.

And in another break from mainstream films, everything isn't tied up neatly in a bow at the end - we are not told what happened "ever after" to these characters. We can decide for ourselves what comes next. We are treated like adults, not told what to think, not overly indulged with explication, not bashed over the head with morals or lessons. Just a study of the dynamics of a family who love each other desperately and who each show it in their own damaged way.

Excellent film.

Skarsgard is magnificent

[raymond_chandler · 8/10 · 29 January 2006]

I rented "Aberdeen" because I love Lena Headey and have been catching up on her work. The fact that Ian Hart and Stellan Skarsgard are also featured only made this film more attractive. I was not disappointed.

All the acting is good, including Charlotte Rampling in a difficult, passive role, but Stellan's portrayal of a wrecked man is astounding. He nails all the outward attributes of alcoholism, but never overdoes it. His eyes tell us all we need to know as his character slowly finds some piece of his own humanity buried deep inside. Astounding, when one compares Tomas to, say, the smoothly lethal Gregor from "Ronin", or the monstrous Cerdic from "King Arthur". Stellan is one of those actors whose mere presence on screen is riveting.

The story itself is simple, but this movie is all about the journey, literally. We are all damaged in some way, but holding on to bitterness and resentment for past wrongs will destroy oneself more effectively from within than any outside force can do.

What a waste of talent

[egilbl-2 · 4/10 · 4 December 2000]

Excellent performances, excellent craftsmanship wasted on a terrible script. The story goes nowhere and after half an hour you're just waiting for it to end (which it doesn't for another hour and a half of utter boredom).

Aberdeen is an understated melodrama in the European tradition

[jeffreyfgold · 10/10 · 12 February 2008]

Aberdeen is an excellent character-driven film. It is one of the best films I have seen in a very long time (now that we have to slog through gargantuan archives of direct-to-DVD films just to get to the few good ones). Charlotte Rampling's line, "Sometimes ugly can be nice" captures the film's characters very well. Stellan Skarsgard, Lena Headey, Ian Hart and Charlotte Rampling are superb in this understated, European (English language) melodrama. Both the beautifully sparse cinematography and Preisner's "childish" score work very well subtextually. The plot is driven by destination and deadline, and this road movie uses every scenario to develop or reinforce character traits. The dialogue is equally sparse and terse, leaving the audience to fill in the blanks to diffuse the dramatic tension. I highly recommend this film, especially if you're not afraid of delving into some Scandinavian melancholy. I give it a 10 for being emotionally engaging and differentiating itself from a bevy of moribund films and/or lifeless protagonists whose goals are inconsequential; the characters in Aberdeen are tragically flawed, but one cares for them. Deeply.

Raw, Touching Road Trip

[noralee · 10/10 · 20 December 2005]

"Aberdeen" is a road trip of a father-daughter relationship. But with raw, uninhibited performances by Stellan Starsgard (as an alcoholic Norwegian oil rigger) and Lena Headey (with a thick Scotch brogue).

Charlotte Rampling is a very effective deus ex machina mother bringing them together with a goal and a deadline, while Ian Hart is memorable as the nice, normal guy thrown into their war, helping to restore their sanity. One of the most romantic scenes I've seen in the movies in years is him simply wiping her brow, while the dad looks on uncomfortably.

The route and fine details of this picaresque film are unpredictable, as they find Aberdeen and themselves. (originally written 8/31/2001)

Dark Road movie

[berntn · 8/10 · 4 December 2000]

A story of a daughter bringing her alcoholic father to her dying mother in Aberdeen. Stellan Skarsgaard (European Film Awards nominee) plays the Norwegian father to perfection, and Lena Headey also give a strong performance as the estranged daughter who's had too much life experience too young. Hans Petter Moland is moving into world class with this one!

Non-cliche road movie

[numen868 · 8/10 · 27 January 2002]

I am not the biggest fan of what I call "road movies." This is one of those movies about the road in a metaphorical sense, with life as the real journey. But this movie was not the typical cliched type of movie. It was well acted and directed, a must see.

Honest yet non-conclusive drama...

[dwpollar · 4/10 · 11 January 2010]

1st watched 12/31/2009 – 4 out of 10(Dir-Hans Petter Moland): Honest yet non-conclusive drama about the reconciliation of a separated family brought about by the dying wishes of a mother with cancer. This is a well acted movie and doesn't try to fluff up anything to make it look better than it is, but there was no real punch to affect the viewer. Basically, the story is about a daughter who accepts the mother's wish to bring her alcohol-addicted father to see her in the hospital. Her real hope is that the father and daughter will reconcile during the trip but this is a hard pill to swallow. The father stays drunk thru most of the trip and the daughter expectedly stays hard-nosed and her negative side is revealed thru their experiences. They meet up with a helpful truck driver whom the daughter eventually beds and learns to respect as he sticks around long enough to help them get to their destination. This side story is nice and there is the other issue as to whether the father and daughter are really biological father and daughter which adds some twists as well. All in all though, there is a lot of pain in this story that never really gets resolved --- so it's hard to like the movie. The makers really work hard to make you sympathize and to me this is very obvious. All in all, this is an OK movie but it didn't give you much to hold onto in it's entirety.

Unflinchingly Accurate

[valis1949 · 8/10 · 17 February 2009]

'Addiction' as a genre of film is jam-packed with predictable content, but ABERDEEN is a cut above the rest. Stellan Skarsgards boozy downward spiral is a home-video into the real world of alcoholism. Too often the alcoholic is portrayed as if locked in some sort of heroic struggle, however, real drunks stumble, fall down, puke, and create emotional havoc in their own lives and everyone around them. This film also adds a fresh look at The Alcoholic Intervention Model. In this movie, the one who is spearheading the intervention is arguably in worse shape than the beneficiary. ABERDEEN is an unflinching look at the nature of addiction with a bold, well written abrasive script.

Moving depiction of difficult father-daughter relationship

[neoreal-1 · 9/10 · 22 March 2002]

This is an emotionally acute, well-acted, visually interesting drama. The direction and editing are excellent. The plot is compelling. There is some intense graphic violence, but it can be seen as functioning in the situation as a means of breaking down the characters' defensiveness. I was not aware that there were such severe penalties in Great Britain for possession of drugs.

Captivating - I was completely hooked

[peedur · 10/10 · 28 May 2001]

I began watching the film on the Sundance Channel today and I couldn't turn away, for all the right reasons. I wanted to find out how these people would make sense of the chaos in their lives and how or whether they'd meaningfully connect. It was shot with beautiful subtlety. For all of the pain and anger evident in their outward behavior there were traces of genuine human weakness and need which gave the relationship played by Headey and Skarsgård a fragile realism.

There aren't many films where a character's struggle for redemption or self-revelation appear in a realistic manner. Hearts rarely repair themselves in real life with the timely schedule we see so often in films. This film shows restraint in this area; as a viewer I was heartbroken by their frailty and delighted to see it as a creative decision. The actors did a terrific service to the story by holding true to that restraint.

I wanted to watch it again as soon as it was over.

A long strange trip worth taking.

[dynagirl · 10/10 · 13 March 2008]

It's not that often that I delve into movies past to find something to watch, but I've been so impressed with Lena Headey's work in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" that I've been checking out her past work. Boy am I glad I saw this one. What an outstanding film. Aberdeen is a pretty heavy character-driven drama, so I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I was pulled into this film from the start and it never let me go. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going to go next, I was happy to be wrong. And the performances alone from Stellan Skarsgård and Lena Headey really make this emotional journey well worth taking. Highly recommend.

Too many plot holes

[ithomson-44579 · 3/10 · 11 January 2021]

This was a tough watch. Dying mother calls her daughter from her hospital bed in Aberdeen with a request for her and her father to come quickly before she dies of cancer.

Kaisa, the over-agitated, over-dramatic and over-aggressive daughter, skips her work as a lawyer (somewhere in England, perhaps London?) to board a plane (presumably to Stavanger) to track down her estranged, alcoholic, Norwegian father. His drunkenness prevents them from boarding a flight to Aberdeen, so Kaisa drives them to Bergen to catch a ferry.

There are no ferries to Aberdeen. They arrive somewhere in England. Kaisa drops by her office to pick up some work files before they hit the road north.

The rental car, picked up at the Norwegian airport and never returned, breaks down somewhere in England. Friendly trucker Clive offers them a lift as far as Mansfield, where the car is later towed to them at a roadside service station after being repaired.

Kaisa and her father continue on their journey, driving well into the night on what would be a 7-hour drive before stopping to let her father relieve himself by a tree. He falls over drunk. Police arrive. He's helped to a police cell for the night while Kaisa decides to go out drinking in what looks to be the Glasgow Barrowlands.

She shuns the advances of some local losers before Clive miraculously appears out of nowhere and takes her home to his place. (Hadn't they been driving for hours?).

Kaisa sneaks out in the early morning and picks her dad up from the police station. They argue while having breakfast in a diner. Dad storms off after surreptitiously stealing his daughter's wallet to leave Kaisa alone again. She returns to Clive's apartment to enlist his help, and they go off driving around whichever town they're now in to find Kasia's father.

They find him drunk and being humiliated by a large group of revellers wandering the streets after a night out. A fight ensues. Kaisa is badly beaten. Clive is the hero and saves them before storming off. He's done with them.

Kaisa and her dad are back at the car. He's too drunk to drive. She's bleeding and bruised. Dad goes off walking and is quickly stalked by the ringleader of the revellers. He's run over in the middle of the road by a hit and run driver.

Dad gets Clive back as they need his help to drive them to Aberdeen (which is either a 7-hour drive away if they've somehow looped back to Mansfield, or 3 hours if they're in Glasgow?). Yet they need to stop again overnight in a caravan park. They then go clothes shopping in Edinburgh to make themselves presentable for mother.

Hoorah! They're finally in Aberdeen (oh, after Kaisa gets drunk in the car and tries to straddle her father). Now she's too drunk to be admitted. They spend the night in a hotel. Clive is done again. He leaves. They return to the hospital the next morning. They see Mum before she dies... and then leave the hospital to be confronted by police looking for the hit-and-run driver that mowed a guy down in another city miles away not that long before. Excellent police work.

Police find Kaisa's drug stash (although she'd already appeared to have sold off her drugs to some shady creep in an Edinburgh basement to fund the shopping trip). Dad, who we now learn isn't actually her biological father, takes the wrap and gets sent down.

Still following? I wasn't. Codswallop. 🙈

This is what acting is all about

[mishory · 10/10 · 14 October 2002]

I saw this movie In the 2001 Haifa film festival. The movie was shown without subtitles, and it was a little hard to follow at first, I admit. But this excellent movie has a way of engulfing the viewer, whether it is on a big screen or on TV.

The talented actors in this movie are directed beautifully by Hans Molland, and I myself will try to catch more of his films and follow his career. Stellan Skarsgård plays the part of an alcoholic middle aged man with so much authenticity and depth, that I find myself completely identifying with the character on screen. Lena Headey gives a stunning performance herself. the reversal of roles towards the end of the movie is graceful and subtle, as the actors follow the brilliant script.

The movie progresses smoothly across several layers of depth, and as the main two characters evolve in opposite directions, the audience is taken for a physical, as well as psychological, trip with them. The combined methods chosen by the script writers and the director make this an unforgettable movie, and for that I give it a solid 8/10.

enjoy!

reminded me of my own father

[william_blake · 8/10 · 29 May 2002]

very touching movie..the acting performances are fabulous, 'aberdeen' is very realistic piece of film. almost shockingly realistic.

it was great to see a movie like this for a change. i've seen so much of these music-video-goes-hollywood-goes-kungfu movies, that a movie really ABOUT SOMETHING was nice again..

i can't say it would've been a perfect ten, for that you'd need much more originality. but very well done, and obviously the actors liked the directors, since they are giving their very best.

Lena Headey is an undiscovered beauty!!!

[theronman2001 · 8/10 · 5 October 2001]

Starting with Diana Rigg, Olivia Newton-John, Sheena Easton and Nicole Kidman, Lena Headey is the heir apparent to my list of fantasy women with British accents. Oh yeah, she is an excellent actress also.

In many ways the movie was depressing. However, if the writers and directors were trying to express/display a dysfunctional addicted family... they succeeded brilliantly. In an era of man bashing the interjection of Clive (Ian Hart) as the Good Samaritan truck driver was refreshing.

The ending leaves you pondering the final outcome ... ala "The Lady or the Tiger". All in all, the movie is worth the time and money.