R

Feature debut by Tobias Lindholm and Michael Noer about Rune, in his twenties, who tries to survive in a heavily guarded Danish prison. Mercilessly oppressive picture of prison culture with its strict pecking order, violent codes of honour and secret contracts.

Rune is a young Dane who, after a serious violent crime, finds himself in an old, heavily guarded prison. He is determined to keep out of sight as much as possible and out of the battle for power, but on the first day it becomes clear he has no option. There is no escaping the merciless prison culture with its strict pecking order, violent codes of honour and secret contracts. Thanks to his dexterity, he manages to get a privileged position for himself.

R was shot entirely on location in prison and partly thanks to the convincing extras, the feature debut by the directors Lindholm and Noer feels authentic and oppressive. Together they had previously made a short film, and Noer had already shown in two documentaries that he knew how to handle natural realism. In R that is amplified by very effective camera work that makes optimal use of the oppressive frames of the grungy space, and by a minimalist, electronic soundtrack.

R proves what was already made clear by the French film Un prophète, which is also screened at the festival: the prison thriller is alive and well.