‘Synkefri’ (‘Unsinkable’) movie review: A gripping Scandinavian drama on the fallout of a maritime tragedy
Despite few dips in conviction, Danish filmmaker Christian Andersen’s film is a neatly written drama that makes us party to its teenage protagonist as he rides the waves of grief and fights for vindication
(Originally published in The Hindu on November 27, 2024)
For those who grew up around the coast, a harbour or a fishing hamlet, a windy shot of fishermen loading fish onto their trawlers is enough to remember what that wind feels like or what those men carry in their hearts every time they set sail into the ocean. In the sleepy Danish harbour city of Hirtshals, the wind is not just an intrinsic and comforting element, but also a terrifying reminder of a painful past.
The year is 1981. Teenager Henrik (Sylvester Espersen Byder), along with his family, watches his beloved father Rasmus (Anders Brink Madsen), a rescue operations head, speak on the tele about the RF2, a state-of-the-art rescue boat that has been tested to be practically unsinkable. For Rasmus and his wife Iben (Johanne Louise Schmidt), Henrik and their pre-teen daughter Sofie are everything. Henrik works with his uncle Bo Tang (Lars Torpp Thomsen) at the harbour during the day, and in the evening, loiters around drinking beer with his best friend and partner-in-crime, Claus (Elias Budde Christensen).
During a warm family dinner with Bo Tang and his wife Lissy (Sofie Torp), a distress message calls Rasmus to action — a boat with Claus on board has sunk, and Rasmus takes his RF2 on a rescue mission. While Henrik and Iben wait with their hearts in their hands, Bo Tang, manning the tower’s microphone, relays a piece of information that permanently changes the lives of the Rasmus family and the fate of Hirtshals: both Claus’ boat and Rasmus’ RF2 had sunk with no survivors. Henrik has just lost his father and his best friend, and to make matters worse…..
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