People
check into the assisted suicide hotel, but they don’t check out. That is the
whole idea, yet one guest is surprised to discover the place might be run by
killers. Nonetheless, you have to admire the guts of any distributor willing to
pick up a thriller that could diminish viewer enthusiasm for euthanasia. The
staff of the Hotel Aurora is indeed determined to carry about business with
Scandinavian efficiency in Jonas Alexander Arnby’s Exit Plan, which
releases tomorrow on VOD.
Max
Isaksen is so boring, he isn’t even leading a life a quiet desperation, until
he is diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. After the insurance adjustor
investigates the claim of a woman whose husband apparently availed himself of
the Hotel Aurora’s services, Isaksen books a room for himself. However, he
never really shares a proper moment of closure with his wife Lærke, which
weighs heavily on him. Isaksen even starts having second thoughts, even though
the Aurora staff discourages such thinking.
In
some ways, Exit Plan is like The Suicide Club, with a pinch of
David Lynch and décor courtesy of the Danish Design Store. This is one frosty, Nordic
film that never caters to conventional thriller audiences. Yet, it is its vibe
of soul-deadening alienation and profound existential implications are exactly
what make it so unsettling. No matter how you feel about euthanasia, you never
want to visit the Aurora.
Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau drabs himself down admirably as the reserved Isaksen, who could
almost pass for a Dickensian scrivener. It is not just a physical thing, even
though the 1970’s era glasses and moustache render the Game of Thrones star
nearly unrecognizable. He also projects a sense of deep sadness.
It
is fortunate Coster-Waldau is so good as Isaksen, because he largely carries
the film on his shoulders. There are plenty of counselors and minders working
in the Aurora, but not even the usually wild-looking Jan Bijvoet makes an appreciable
impression. That includes Tuva Novotny too, who seems weirdly aloof, even by
Scandinavian standards, as Lærke.
Regardless,
Arnby undeniably puts his stamp on this film. It is just as hypnotic as When Animals Dream, but in a different, less disorienting fashion. It defiantly
problematizes reality in ways that will limit its commercial appeal, but it
deserves the open-minded attention of adventurous cult films patrons.
Recommended for fans of very dark Nordic noir, Exit Plan releases
tomorrow (6/12) on VOD.
