ALPHA.
The Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia. 2024. Director Jan-Willem van Ewijk, With Reinout Scholten van Aschat, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Pia Amofa, Julien Genoud, Daria Fuchs, Kaija Lederberger, Running time 100′
After Nu (2006) and Atlantic (2014), the third feature by Dutch screenwriter and director Jan-Willem van Ewijk is a psychoanalytic thriller about a tormented father-son relationship set in the Swiss Alps and starring actors who are father and son in real life. After the death of his mother, Rein (Reinout Scholten van Aschat) moves to a small village in the Alps to immerse himself in nature, working as a snowboard instructor. The tranquillity ends with a visit from his intrusive father Gijs (Gijs Scholten van Aschat). Gijs is charming with everyone, becomes the star of a ski excursion with Rein and his friends and flirts with his son’s new girlfriend. Exasperated, Rein drags his father away from the group on a lonely hike over steep and dangerous terrain, but nature breaks loose and their petty alpha male struggle becomes a test of survival.
Oscar Cosulich