Trailer
For Somali Pirate Thriller
'A Hijacking'
(Claims To Consider
Global Economic Disparities)
"A Hijacking"
Speaking of Somali pirate movies (see my David Oyelowo post from earlier this morning HERE)...
Danish filmmaker Tobias Lindholm's feature film, A Hijacking, was first profiled on this site oer the summer.
A Hijacking is described as a fascinating window onto the phenomenon of modern piracy as yet another by-product of the catastrophic economic disparity between impoverished countries and the "First World."
When I initially read that, I was encouraged. It told me that the filmmaker seems to understand that there's more than just simplistic "good and evil" or "good versus evil" labeling here. It's a far more complicated issue than many realize.
Although, in watching the below trailer, I'm not sure any of that really comes through. So, I'd need to see the film in full.
A Hijacking's synopsis reads:
Tensions are high after a Danish freighter is captured and held for ransom by Somali pirates, leading to weeks of high-stakes negotiations — and an escalating potential for explosive violence — in Tobias Lindholm's grittily authentic and suspenseful thriller.
A little bit more of what I read about the film:
Meanwhile, the crew, their families, and the pirates themselves — some of them just kids, some apparently coerced into participating in the hijack — struggle to deal with the ever-mounting pressure, uncertainty, and potential for violence.
And also...
Hewing to the aesthetic he devised for his co-directed feature debut R (which dealt with life in a penitentiary), Lindholm and his collaborators make vivid use of actual locations and draw some of their cast from people who have been involved in similar situations... Far more than a gimmick, these elements of authenticity and Lindholm's documentary style not only invest the proceedings with a lived-in, matter-of-fact air, but ratchet up the tension and create an all-too-believable atmosphere of claustrophobia and fear. Forgoing exploitation tactics and cheap thrills, Lindholm zooms in on the harsh reality of his scenario.
I'm interested, and definitely want to check this out for myself, and hope it makes it way to NYC.
A Hijacking made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last month.
It most recently screened at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where the above interview was had.
Watch the trailer below:
