Gustav Möller's interviewed on his prison drama 'Sons'
('Vogter') world premiering in competition at the Berlinale
Berlinale 2024 Competition: Jon Ekstrand's original score to Gustav Möller's psychological thriller 'SONS' balances between the physical outter world of the film - set in prison - and the inner psyche of the main characters.
'Vogter' ('Sons') will premiere in competition at this year's Berlinale on 22 Feb
After 'The Guilty', Gustav Möller returns with 'Sons' ('Vogter'), exploring another confined world, as the film is set in prison this time. 'Sons' tells the story of Eva, an idealistic prison officer, who is faced with the dilemma of her live when a young man from her past gets transferred to the prison where she works. Without revealing her secret, Eva asks to be moved to the young man's ward - the toughest and most violent in prison. Here begins an unsettling psychological thriller, where Eva's sense of justice puts both her morality and future at stake.
Video captured at the reception organised by Danish Film Institute and The Swedish Film Institute Foundation
'Sons' marks a first collaboration between director Gustav Möller and composer Jon Ekstrand, who was immediately intrigued by the script. At an early stage in the creative process, Ekstrand and Möller decided to focus on the cinematic area of 'a prison', as the music had to underline the harsh physical context of the film. Ekstrand therefore initially sketched and drafted a score which was very physical, distorted and brooding to mimic this very cold and industrial setting:
"When I began testing the music to picture, we started to understand that we needed something in addition to this very physical 'outter world' music. Something that lifts the human dymanics and illustrates the inner struggle of the main characters. A score that is at times more pensive, nuanced and longing. I felt that we therefore had to rely on a small string ensemble, bringing us closer to the inner dynamics of the main characters and to the grey area of feelings where it is really hard to say what is right and wrong. In the end I feel we managed to walk the line in a nice way, allowing the thematic elements of the film to be brought forward in a subtle manner, as to color them without wanting to guide the audience too much."
On 22 Feb, Gustav Möller's prison drama 'Sons' ('Vogter') will have its world premiere in competition at the Berlinale Film Festival.
97