What Remains

Mads Lake (Gustaf Skarsgård) a convicted child killer is at the point of release when he confesses to other murders, which of course alerts the authorities. His case is taken up by therapist Anna (Andrea Risborough) who has a slightly more sympathetic attitude towards him than grizzled boozy cop Soren (Stellan Skarsgård) who just wants him locked away.

What plays out over almost two and a quarter hours is one of the most visually unappealing films that has come out for a while. The colour palate and hues are grim to complement the subject matter and ambience, which is to be expected, but so unrelenting as to smother it.

Had the film’s intellectual core been sound they may have got away with the drab visuals. But the main protagonists being a killer and two deeply flawed individuals it’s an uphill task, as they rely on deep dive personal conversations. They get bogged down with long exchanges that just don’t hold the attention, however insightful they may be for the viewer in the context of the film or the human condition in general.

Roped into all this is Mads’s brother, who’s questioned about whether there could be a family rooted trauma that led to his crimes, then adding a lot of technical legal issues, the film meanders.

Directed by Ran Huang who co-wrote it with Megan Everett-Skarsgård, and inspired by a notorious Scandinavian serial killer, What Remains fails to engage on the basic requirements of a film, i.e. visually and narratively.

A very good cast are lumbered with a very wordy script and deeply unattractive characters. It may have been a challenge for the actors, and they are good but they alone cannot sustain interest in this film.

What Remains premieres exclusively on the Icon Film Channel from 3 June 2024, and in select UK cinemas from 5 July.