A Day and a Half Review: The Swedish thriller (En dag och en halv) marks the directorial debut of Fares Fares, who previously worked on Westworld and Chernobyl. The film is written by Fares along with Peter Smirnakos. It stars Fares Fares as police officer Lukas, Alexej Manvelov as Artan, and Alma Pöysti plays Artan’s ex-wife Louise.
The film’s supporting cast also includes Stina Ekblad as Wanja, and Bengt Annica Liljeblad as Anna. The cast also includes C.W. Carlsson, Annika Hallin in the role of Dr. Gardelius and Johni Tadi as Dr. Yakoub. It has a run-time of one hour and thirty-five minutes and revolves around a tense plot involving a situation where a man holds his ex-wife and daughter hostage. A policeman tries to control the situation by accompanying the armed man.
A Day and a Half Review
The biggest challenge for a hostage drama is to maintain a steady pace while keeping the audience engaged. On these fronts, the film does well as it keeps you invested in the story of Artan (Alexej Manvelov), who holds his ex-wife Louise (Alma Pöysti) hostage at gunpoint. The story has many layers as it explores mental health issues, inter-generational trauma and more as a family crisis turns into a 17-hour hostage situation where police officer Lukas (Fares Fares) also finds himself entangled in.
From Artan’s perspective, the criminal side of the act and its consequences never cross his mind since he is focused on finding a way to reunite with his daughter Cassandra whose custody is now with his ex-wife. He barges in at his ex-wife’s workplace, holds her at gunpoint and negotiates with the police to provide him a car, in order to visit Louise’s parents, where their daughter has been living. In his mind, Artan is merely a father going to extreme lengths to meet his daughter. This troubled state of mind of the character is captured well and further enhanced with commentary made on the kind of treatment he receives on account of being an immigrant.
While the story begins with Artan being carved out as the antagonist, it’s quickly seen how both Louise and him have had a troubled relationship on account of their own hang-ups, and their marriage has borne the scars of the same. While she is being treated for mental health issues, there is also a subtle mention of how her own upbringing and relationship with her mother have affected her own experience of motherhood. In this story, much like us, Lukas is the bystander who understands the rights and wrongs and is trying his best to salvage the situation from becoming a case of permanent damage and trauma for this broken family.
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The movie takes off strongly but soon turns into a slow-burner as we follow the trio on the road trip. A suspicious Artan continues to remain wary of Lukas thinking that he might shoot or even poison him by offering a coffee. Over time though, this changes slowly after Lukas opens up about his own broken marriage and relationship with his kids. While the film remains engaging as we anticipate what decision Artan will take towards the end and he will end up hurting or killing someone on the way, there are several moments where the situation seems surreal as well.
With a convoy of Swedish police following Lukas’ car, as he drives an armed Artan and his ex-wife through a long route, one wonders how at no point does the police officer try to use his wit to take the gun away from Artan’s hand. The story seems particularly outstretched during a scene that takes place in the garage of Louise’s parents, where it would have been easy to capture Artan. The story has several loopholes, and while they could have been addressed, the film makes up for its mistakes with its performances.
Fares Fares, as Lukas, brings out a quiet but thoughtful performance. His silence speaks more, and in the tense storyline, his calm performance makes you believe that a non-violent solution waits for us in the end. Also bringing a rollercoaster of emotions all through is Alexej Manvelov, whom you can’t completely hate even though he is the villain of this story. He shines in the emotional scenes. Alma Pöysti, too leaves a lasting impact in scenes where she confronts her mother and also in the one where she speaks about her psychosis.
A Day and a Half Review Final Thoughts
On the surface, this Swedish thriller may seem like a story that is too far-fetched but it has multiple layers to it and that’s where it impresses the most. Fares Fares’ direction is particularly praiseworthy in the initial scene of Artan’s confrontation with Lukas as well as the emotional scenes. The film’s background score also stirs up the tense moments effectively as a melancholic but eerie piano tune runs through the crucial moments. With captivating performances, this film makes for a good one-time watch.
A Day and a Half is streaming on Netflix.
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