Father and Mothers (Denmark)

 Cine Europa 2025

Cinema 3, Red Carpet Cinemas    

Edsa Shangri la Mall

This Danish film focuses on the length that parents will go to secure a good education for their children. Piv and her husband Ulrich surmise that their daughter Hannah is not developing properly in a public school setting. So when a  slot is available at an exclusive school in a close knit community, they grab the opportunity to enroll their somewhat shy and unenthusiastic daughter.  

Judging from the interview with the strict headmaster Adrian, this new school exudes an elitish, snobbish vibe. Yet Piv and Ulrich are determined that Hannah will finally thrive after years of transferring from one school to another school. 

They first get to meet the other parents in a meeting to discuss the annual camping trip. A whole bunch of characters who one might mistake to be part of some cult. You know those types who are active in sports, do yoga, eat healthy, self righteous and always politically correct kind of individuals. They are all seemingly friendly to each other yet also high competitive.

Piv and Ulrich try to always be on their best behavior as they aim to please and ingratiate themselves with the other parents. They are further put 'on the spot' as they join the annual camping/cabin trip in some idyllic garden/forest resort. 

The film clearly focuses on merely the rapport and camaraderie between the parents during this camping trip. Their kids are mostly nameless and just shown in the backdrop. The kids are well behaved, interact with each other and all get along well. The same though cannot be said for their parents who get into each other's affairs, resort to  finger pointing each other's flaws and a general sense of resentment, even envy permeates throughout their interaction at the camp. 

The characteristics and attitudes of the different characters are well defined and well acted out by the cast. This is what elevates this film from a mere PTA meeting/gathering one layered plot albeit sans the teachers. Personally I cannot relate because I am not a parent but I have read and heard of how competitive parents can be just to get their kids in good schools. It is mostly for social status if I may boldly say so because in the long run, it is the children who ultimately either suffer or benefit from for lack of a better word, the eccentric often weird shenanigans of their parents.