What Remains is a film that presents itself as a detective procedural with a possible serial killer being interviewed by his psychiatrist and a detective trying to piece together the killer’s muddled and confused confessions of murder and rape. What the film actually tries to be is a nuanced take on humanity, inner peace, and a greater purpose. I say “tries” because there are certainly some provocative conversations being had, and the acting is really great, but there is something missing with the overall tone that I hope to explore more.
Gustaf Skarsgård as Mads Lake in WHAT REMAINS. Photo courtesy of VMI Releasing.
Set in 1990s Sweden, a confessed murderer, Mads Lake (Gustaf Skarsgård), his psychiatrist Anna Rudebeck (Andrea Riseborough), and a troubled detective, Sören Rank (Stellan Skarsgård), try to unearth the truth while they are all also dealing with very personal and troubling situations.
L-R: Andrea Riseborough as Dr. Anna Rudebeck and Gustaf Skarsgård as Mads Lake in WHAT REMAINS. Photo courtesy of VMI Releasing.
The three leads all have something in common. They are all dealing with deeply personal crises, some with higher stakes, but, (and what I think the film is trying to tell us) all these things are deeply important experiences as humans. Mads has a brother who wants nothing to do with him, he’s exploring trauma from his childhood with his therapist, while also confessing the dreams he is having. These dreams are detailed accounts of rape and murder of children. Mads is torn between believing he’s actually committed these atrocities, or if it’s part of a psychotic break. There is a certain ambiguity to his confessions. There is more than one scene which show Mads gaining knowledge of a missing child through a news broadcast or the like, then confessing to that murder.
This film is based on the real-life account of Sture Bergwall, a Swedish man thought to be a serial killer and convicted of multiple murders while detained in a mental institution. He later withdrew all his confessions and was acquitted of the crimes. The misdirects are there to perhaps explain whether he really was mentally disturbed or the deranged killer. Not having a clear answer is fine. Ambiguous endings can work well if there was enough ground work done for the viewer to make a sound conclusion. Perhaps the point was to leave the viewer with more questions than answers. It felt like it erred on the side of Mads being innocent, getting more than a few scenes with his therapist where she defended his actions even as he was describing how he killed a young boy.
Andrea Riseborough as Dr. Anna Rudebeck in WHAT REMAINS. Photo courtesy of VMI Releasing.
Throughout the film, especially from her perspective, Dr. Rudeback is clearly comforting and protecting Mads. The film does a good job, and Gustaf does an excellent job, of selling his humanity. This is an obvious burden. He is obviously very conflicted internally and when he’s recounting the stories of his father molesting him, you can’t help but pity him. Would that excuse murder? Would that excuse rape? Absolutely not, but the film feels like that is a conversation worth having, hurting people hurt people. It would be a great film about the need for mental health professionals and the importance or mental health, but, unfortunately, it paints the therapist as an absolute mess whose decisions and help are dictated by her personal issues and hangups. That leads me to Stellan’s character, the troubled detective, another person in Mads’s life who is supposed to be an ally, or at least an indifferent third party looking evidence of innocence or guilt. The film takes its time to also get into his back story and his personal demons, showing an alcoholic who can’t make the right decisions. The two biggest helping hands in Mads’s life are marred by these personal crises, and I’m struggling to figure out the point. Is it to lay less blame on Mads, or more? There is never a clear narrative one way or the other, and if the reason is to remain ambiguous, why go into such detail.
Gustaf Skarsgård as Mads Lake in WHAT REMAINS. Photo courtesy of VMI Releasing.
Clearly, director Ran Huang knows how to competently make a film. There were a lot of visual flourishes and the overall tone and look of the film are very well done. The three leads are often out of focus, or, if they are in a shot together, one is slightly obscuring the other, or one is obscured by a windows reflection or something in the foreground. These help to establish tone, but also keep these characters at arm’s length, creating a barrier that you have to contend with as a viewer. As I wrestle with the film’s themes and questions, I’m left mostly empty and wondering what the point was.
In theaters and on VOD June 21st, 2024.
For more information, head to the official VMI Releasing What Remains webpage.
Final Score: 2.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews, streaming
Disappointing and often infuriating. Disappointing because the film feels static, often boring,with bad editing that sometimes resemble a home movie,and a poor script.
The great talents of the Skarsgard father and son are wasted, particularly Gustaf’s (a memorable Floki in Vikings),and the unethical, manipulative, self-serving , treacherous ,messed up bad therapist creating false realities in the patient’s mind is truly painful to watch. Everybody whispers. There are numerous silent moments that seem capricious, or perhaps someone thought they would add depth. Much better could have been done with this interesting, moving story based on true events and at least two excellent actors.
Although slow, I did enjoy this film. My thoughts were simpler in that Mads was preparing for his release from an institution. His life savings was going towards a new apartment and place to live; however, it was stolen from him. His brother’s wife and his brother at times wanted nothing to do with him although the brothers’ relationship is clearly complicated. I believe he realized that he had a much better life at the institution and made up whatever he felt was necessary to be re-admitted. What would have been interesting is to explain the psychotherapists childhood issues and her need to have a child.