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Aberdeen

Released Aug 17, 2000 1h 53m Comedy Drama List
87% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Kaisa (Lena Headey) is sent by her mother (Charlotte Rampling) to escort her alcoholic father (Stellan Skarsgard) on a road trip from a Norwegian oil rig to a detox clinic in Aberdeen, Scotland. What she soon discovers, however, is that her mother's plans for her father are not what she thought...
Aberdeen

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Critics Consensus

Though the characters are difficult to watch at times, Aberdeen burns with ferocious honesty and strong performances.

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Critics Reviews

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Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader Its plot contrivances beautifully justified by its minimalism. Feb 13, 2020 Full Review Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine A strangely lyrical tale of addiction and family distance. Rated: 3/4 Apr 30, 2002 Full Review Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune Grips us precisely because its actors are so utterly absorbed in their roles, so unfettered and nakedly expressive. Rated: 3/4 Feb 14, 2002 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Sep 1, 2005 Full Review F.X. Feeney L.A. Weekly Moland ... has a fine eye for landscapes, but an even surer touch with actors. Oct 1, 2002 Full Review Eric D. Snider EricDSnider.com The movie is to be admired for refusing to romanticize alcoholism and for finding, in its bleak story, much humor and emotion. Rated: B+ Sep 18, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Before I watched this movie, I had no clue what this movie would be. And now after seeing it I'm simply not a fan. It's a simple movie on paper but with a relationship with the main character from game of thrones and her dad played by Stellan skarsgard. This movie is very high anxiety and uncomfortable at times. It's pretty hard to predict what's going to happen in this movie but for me the pace is a snails pace. That's my big problem. I like the idea of the movie and the actors are fantastic but maybe the editing is the problem or the script writing. But in the end this is also a forgettable movie that I will forget about in a day or two. But at least the poster is iconically cool. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/29/21 Full Review Audience Member Before I watched this movie, I had no clue what this movie would be. And now after seeing it I'm simply not a fan. It's a simple movie on paper but with a relationship with the main character from game of thrones and her dad played by Stellan skarsgard. This movie is very high anxiety and uncomfortable at times. It's pretty hard to predict what's going to happen in this movie but for me the pace is a snails pace. That's my big problem. I like the idea of the movie and the actors are fantastic but maybe the editing is the problem or the script writing. But in the end this is also a forgettable movie that I will forget about in a day or two. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Lawyer Kaisa Heller (Lena Headey), just promoted, has no apparent emotional attachments, preferring nameless encounters with men. She is surprised to receive a call from Helen (Charlotte Rampling), her dying mother, with a final request to bring Kaisa's estranged father Tomas (Stellan Skarsgård) to see her at the hospital. The film is a bit of a road movie with encounters along the way, some confrontational, such as boozing louts who harass her father or angry stewardesses issuing ultimatums, while some are romantic, such as truck driver Clive (Ian Hart) whom Kaisa attempts to use, but instead finds herself attached to. What started as an unavoidable chore, perhaps the last she will have never been able to dodge, becomes a new starting point in her life... Hans Petter Molands´s family drama moves you in many ways and we get a great cast. A young, lovely and great Lena Headey, the always solid Charlotte Rampling and Stellan Skarsgård plus Ian Hart. I saw "Aberdeen" when it came out, but I can´t remember my opinion back in 2000. But, re-seeing it now was very satisfying. I needed this film right now in my life as I encountered similarities to this story in my own life. And we get a excellent soundtrack from Zbigniew Preisner with great vocals from Stina Nordenstam in the closing song. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review christopher b Don't let that wacky hat in the poster fool you, this is quite a serious drama with only a slight incline of dark comedy. But it is a film that I couldn't take my eyes away from. I was so struck by the exceptional pacing of the plot, the unflinching story it tells and the brilliantly-matched performances by Lena Headey & Stellan Skarsgard. Both actors do a phenomenal job with the brutally honest material without veering into melodramatics for a bulk of the runtime. The filmmaking is sharp yet never showy in the best possible way while the sublime film editing low-key keeps the road-trip a surprisingly nimble one. Despite the character's eccentric, contrived personalities, it was done in such a heartfelt, entertaining way that was never boring and it ultimately moved me by the film's end. This forgotten indie is well worth a watch and deserves some overdue recognition! - 8/10 (B+) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review richard i Appalling student film script, plotting and characterisation that shows that good acting is entirely dependent on good writing and direction, absent from this film. Random nudity, absurd storyline jumps and non-sequiturs, and inconsistent behaviour from the characters adds up to a boring whole. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Good acting, writing. Pretty depressing. Both are pretty unlikable, but are interesting enough characters to get past it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Aberdeen

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Kaisa (Lena Headey) is sent by her mother (Charlotte Rampling) to escort her alcoholic father (Stellan Skarsgard) on a road trip from a Norwegian oil rig to a detox clinic in Aberdeen, Scotland. What she soon discovers, however, is that her mother's plans for her father are not what she thought...
Director
Hans Petter Moland
Producer
Petter J. Borgli
Screenwriter
Kristin Amundsen, Lars Bill Lundholm, Hans Petter Moland
Distributor
First Run
Production Co
Filmfabriken Baltic Sea AB, Freeway Films
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 17, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$64.1K
Runtime
1h 53m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)