The pre-credits sequence of this film sets the tone for the rest of it. While it starts off innocently enough as though it's a happy family gathering, things go downhill from there. From these few minutes of the movie, we find that the father is a deplorable human being and you can quickly figure out that he is involved in some equally deplorable people.
The lead character, Aske, is a boy who has been abused by his father, "hired out" to other people and had videos made of these exploits from a very young age and, as a young adult, knows that he has to continue to live this life to protect his 12 year old brother Bastian from experiencing the pain that he has suffered in silence. Everything he does during the course of the film stems from his love for Bastian.
Aske has a best friend, Silas, who knows nothing of what Aske is going through and both innocently and desperate;y wants them both to attend a birthday party in the hope that he will get laid. After trying to fob Silas off, Aske eventually relents and agrees to go to the party. It is only when Aske attends the party that you get the sense that this is one of few moments of happiness in his otherwise bleak existence. In the course of celebrating, he is alone with a girl who likes him a lot but his inability to "perform" causes him to reveal to Silas what his father has been doing to him over the years and he runs away.
When Aske returns home after the party, he realizes that his father has abused Bastian in his absence and panics until Silas arrives and calms him down. Aske and Silas locate Bastian hiding out in his secret place. Silas realises that what Aske has told him is true and urges Aske to go to the police but Aske is scared. Silas suggest that both boys go to his parents cabin in Norway and he will tell his parents about what has been going on when they have left.
Aske and Bastian leave for the cabin by train and Silas returns home - we have to assume he then tells his parents the story and they contact the police. You need to fill in the blanks yourself.
Aske and Bastian enjoy a few days of happiness together at the cabin but back home, Silas has texted Askes phone and the father has intercepted the message and convinced him that he is Aske and that they returned home since they couldn't betray their father and that Silas should come over to talk. Silas comes over and is confronted by the father and once more, you need to fill in the blanks of what occurs between them as a few scenes later, the camera lingers on a disturbing image which I can't get out of my head.
Aske wakes up at the cabin and Bastian is not by his side. Dressing, he goes outside to find his father holding a gun to Bastians head, threatening to kill him. Aske fights his father and both he and Bastian attempt to escape but tragedy ensues leaving Aske alone.
You feel utter despair for Aske and Bastian and sympathy for Silas who just wanted to help and paid the ultimate price.
The lead character, Aske, is a boy who has been abused by his father, "hired out" to other people and had videos made of these exploits from a very young age and, as a young adult, knows that he has to continue to live this life to protect his 12 year old brother Bastian from experiencing the pain that he has suffered in silence. Everything he does during the course of the film stems from his love for Bastian.
Aske has a best friend, Silas, who knows nothing of what Aske is going through and both innocently and desperate;y wants them both to attend a birthday party in the hope that he will get laid. After trying to fob Silas off, Aske eventually relents and agrees to go to the party. It is only when Aske attends the party that you get the sense that this is one of few moments of happiness in his otherwise bleak existence. In the course of celebrating, he is alone with a girl who likes him a lot but his inability to "perform" causes him to reveal to Silas what his father has been doing to him over the years and he runs away.
When Aske returns home after the party, he realizes that his father has abused Bastian in his absence and panics until Silas arrives and calms him down. Aske and Silas locate Bastian hiding out in his secret place. Silas realises that what Aske has told him is true and urges Aske to go to the police but Aske is scared. Silas suggest that both boys go to his parents cabin in Norway and he will tell his parents about what has been going on when they have left.
Aske and Bastian leave for the cabin by train and Silas returns home - we have to assume he then tells his parents the story and they contact the police. You need to fill in the blanks yourself.
Aske and Bastian enjoy a few days of happiness together at the cabin but back home, Silas has texted Askes phone and the father has intercepted the message and convinced him that he is Aske and that they returned home since they couldn't betray their father and that Silas should come over to talk. Silas comes over and is confronted by the father and once more, you need to fill in the blanks of what occurs between them as a few scenes later, the camera lingers on a disturbing image which I can't get out of my head.
Aske wakes up at the cabin and Bastian is not by his side. Dressing, he goes outside to find his father holding a gun to Bastians head, threatening to kill him. Aske fights his father and both he and Bastian attempt to escape but tragedy ensues leaving Aske alone.
You feel utter despair for Aske and Bastian and sympathy for Silas who just wanted to help and paid the ultimate price.