‘WHAT REMAINS’ (2024) Based on a true story and unresolved trauma

WHAT REMAINS

Upon his upcoming release from a specialized mental hospital in Scandinavia, a man suddenly reveals his connection to a string of murders. His therapist and the police officer on the case go down the rabbit hole, putting all three of them in a precarious relationship.

Stellan Skarsgård plays Officer Soren Rank. He is always a solid actor. This role is another notch on his vast resume. Andrea Riseborough gives Dr. Anna Rudebeck a staunch determination. Yet again, she climbs into the skin of a self-sabotaging and flawed woman who would rather help others than confront her childhood trauma.

Gustaf Skarsgård is Mads a deep sadness. His gentle nature is at odds with his confessions, although his true motivations feel evident from the beginning. Nevertheless, Skarsgård delivers an emotionally wrought performance.

The script comes from director Ran Huang and Megan Everett-Skarsgard, wife of Stellan and stepmother of Gustaf. WHAT REMAINS is Huang’s feature debut. The characters are so lush that I might suggest expanding this into a miniseries.

Haunting takes in the gloomy natural light of a rainstorm or afternoon in an unlit room, capturing the dark essence of the narrative. The true story behind the film is one of the most unusual in criminal history. In the 1990s, Sture Ragnar Bergwall (later known as Thomas Quicke ) confessed to 20 unsolved murders (convicted of 5). Years later, he rescinded his statements.

It is an intriguing commentary about mental health systems worldwide. The film takes place in Scandinavia, and Mads undergoes rehabilitation treatment. The stark difference between the US industrial prison complex is shocking. The human desire to heal inmates versus for-profit prisons is eye-opening. WHAT REMAINS speaks to the unrelenting consequences of unresolved trauma.

In Theaters & On Demand June 21st
 
** Locarno Film Festival **
** Warsaw International Film Festival **
** Beijing International Film Festival **
** Fantasy FilmFest **

Starring:
Gustaf Skarsgård (“Vikings”),
Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie)
and Stellan Skarsgård (Dune: Part Two)
 
Directed by: Ran Huang
 
Written by: Ran Huang and Megan Everett-Skarsgard 

LOGLINE
In a psychiatric hospital, an alleged serial killer, his therapist, and a police detective seek to solve a brutal cold case before their obsessive quest for the truth consumes them all.

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