ARMAND

Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve), an actress and single mother, is called to her six-year-old son Armand’s primary school after lessons end. The accusation: Armand is said to have crossed a line with his best friend. Around the table sit the other boy’s parents, a young teacher and the school leadership, and even the question of what exactly happened cannot be settled. The longer the conversation drags on in the empty corridors, the more old wounds and the two families’ pasts come into view. “Armand” by the Norwegian director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel (Norway, 2024) takes place entirely within the school building, over the course of a single afternoon.

Ullmann Tøndel, who has himself worked at a primary school, builds a psychological chamber piece out of a parent–teacher meeting that increasingly departs from reality. His feature debut played in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2024, where it received the Caméra d’Or for best first feature. It was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2024.

Shown at the 2024 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

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