How many times have you asked yourself the question “How much is a Life worth” and have you ever considered how that would change if you had to pay for it? Tobias Lindholm’s movie A Hijacking elegantly captures the process of negotiation between a large Danish corporation with much on the line and Somali pirates who seem to have nothing to lose.
When the cargo ship MV Rozen is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean as it is heading for harbor the ship’s cook Mikkel and the engineer Jan who, along with the rest of the seamen, are taken hostage in a cynical game of life and death. With the demand for a ransom of millions of dollars, a psychological drama unfolds between the CEO of the shipping company and the Somali pirates.
The movie stars Søren Malling (“Borgen,” Talenttyven, A Royal Affair), Johan Philip Asbæk (Spies & Gilstrup, “Borgen,” A Family, R ), Dar Salim (“Game of Thrones,” “Borgen,” The Devil’s Double, Submarino ), and Roland Møller (Northwest, R)
Lindholm (“Borgen,” The Hunt, Submarino, R) creates tension and raises the stakes without overdoing the action. This is as much psychological thriller as it is a narrative of the perils faced by cargo ships on the open seas. As the film unfolds slowly, tension builds to unbearable levels as we become totally enthralled and invested in what will happen to the crew. Lindholm manages to keep us on the edge of our seats as we hope and pray that they will see their families again. This film is gritty and realistic and whilst we experience the wonder of being on the open seas on a cargo ship to start with, we quickly get a sense of the claustrophobia experienced not only by the hostages as they are locked in a small space but also by those negotiating for their lives who also become hostages themselves. Good acting and direction allow us to witness the journey of a smart business man who quickly learns that the same tricks that help you win in the business world do not help when you are trying to negotiate with psychopathic sociopathic hijackers
This film is a fascinating look at the things that bond people together and the relationship that hijackers and hostages often build with each other.
A HIJACKING be opening in select cities including New York, Los Angeles, Irvine (in Orange County) and San Francisco on Friday, June 21, 2013. Check link below and local listings for play times
http://www.magpictures.com/dates.aspx?id=e0b17d74-6d43-44f7-8c91-802ed0d7e7a4
2012 Toronto Film Festival (Official Selection)
2012 Venice Film Festival (Official Selection)
2012 Tokyo International Film Festival (Official Selection)
2013 New Directors/New Films (Official Selection)
2013 Palm Springs International Film Festival (WON- Director to Watch)
2013 Robert Festival (WON- Best Film, Best Actor, Best Editor, Best Screenplay, Best Sound)
2013 AFI Fest (WON- Audience Award)
2012 Thessaloniki Film Festival (WON- FIPRESCI Prize, Golden Alexander Award)
