Phoenix (Føniks)
(Norway/Sweden, 86 min.)
Written and directed by Camilla Strøm Henriksen
Starring: Yiva Thedia Bjørkaas, Maria Bonnevie, Sverrir
Gudnason, Casper Falck-Løvås
Programme: Discovery (World Premiere)
A phoenix is a symbol of renewal and resilience. The mythical bird
rises from ashes to be born again, and its flame-lit image suggests light after
darkness. There is little to lightness to be found in Camilla Strøm
Henriksen’s feature directorial debut Phoenix,
though, but after nearly an hour and a half of sombre melancholy, one can only
leave the film with a sense of hope for its young protagonist.
Tragedy strikes the family unexpectedly, though, but Jill does
what she always does: she carries on. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for
a girl to enjoy her 14th birthday, so Jill pretends that all is
right in the family when her father (Sverrir Gudnason) comes to take her and Bo
and for b-day dinner.
Writer/director Camilla Strøm Henriksen creates a sobering
portrait of mental illness and addiction as this intimate character study examines
the impact that depression and alcoholism have on the family. Neither of Jill’s
parents has much luck beating the bottle, and the film sees two children
stripped of their youth as the adults in their lives struggle to balance their
responsibilities for their children and for their own well-being. Phoenix finds striking contrasts in the
mise-en-scène of the two family environments as Astrid’s home is a sombre and
dimly lit cave littered with traces of her ups and downs. When Nils takes the
kids into his place, Phoenix
offers a brightly lit abode with buoyantly white furnishings and clean, calming
orderliness. Stepping into his apartment feels like coming up for air.
Phoenix could use
more levity as Henriksen explores the dark crevasses of the family. The film is
relentlessly bleak. It’s distressing to see two good kids in such hell. Bjørkaas’s
impressive performance gives audiences a reason to hold out hope, though, as
Jill tries to insert a little bit of happiness into an awful situation, even if
it’s obviously a kind of forced escapism. She’s a resilient figure, ready to
spread her wings after surviving a lifetime of pain before she’s even 14.
Phoenix screens:
-Friday, Sept. 7 at Cineplex Scotiabank at 9:15 PM
-Sunday, Sept. 9 at TIFF Lightbox at 9:00 AM
-Saturday, Sept. 15 at Cineplex Scotiabank at 12:30 PM