What We Become
| What We Become | |
|---|---|
| Sorgenfri | |
| Directed by | Bo Mikkelson |
| Produced by | Meta Louise Foldager |
| Screenplay by | Bo Mikkelson |
| Starring |
Mille Dinesen Troels Lyby Benjamin Engell Marie Hammer Boda |
| Music by | Martin Pedersen |
| Cinematography | Adam Philp |
| Edited by | Niels Ostenfeld |
Production company |
Meta Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Denmark |
| Language | Danish |
What We Become (Danish: Sorgenfri) is a 2016 Danish horror and zombie movie directed by Bo Mikkelson. It premiered on March 31, 2016.
Plot
The film follows a family of four living in the idyllic suburb of Sorgenfri. However, the family's life dramatically changes after a mysterious virus erupts in the city. Suddenly, survival is the main focus, and the family will have to find the strength to fight through the crisis.
The film opens at a community picnic with the family in attendance; their neighbour attempts to persuade the father of the family into applying for a gun license so they can go hunting together. Out of an aversion for firearms the father refuses. Meanwhile, other picnic goers are starting to display symptoms of sickness, foreshadowing the events to take place.
Over the next few days, the situation escalates into a full scale zombie outbreak, but the overprotective father does not update his two kids of the developments. Choosing to blindly reassure them that all is right.
Eventually, the neighbourhood of Sorgenfri is quarantined by the military and all residents are ordered to remain indoors. The military brings residents food and water, but does not inform them of the reality.
At night, the military drags the infected from their houses and into trucks. Not knowing they are dangerous zombies, the older teenage son of the family mistakes this for arbitrary arrest. Out of a passion for social justice, he sneaks out of the house and frees the zombies from the trucks. His misguided actions cause the military to be overrun and forcing them to retreat from the neighbourhood.
Seeing the zombies have overrun the neighbourhood, the father barricades the house and is joined by his armed neighbour. They formulate a plan to scout the area and obtain food, encountering a military blockade at the edge of the neighbourhood.
Not wanting to take chances, the military coldly orders the two to retreat on the pain of death. They retreat to a supermarket, where they run into a woman survivor looting for supplies. They are soon cornered by zombies, and out of survival and desire for her supplies, the woman is sacrificed to the zombies.
Meanwhile, the young girl of the family sneaks outside to find her pet rabbit, not recognizing the danger having been mentally sheltered by her family. She is bitten by her zombified neighbour but saved by her father who returned for supplies. However, the gunshot attracted a large horde and the family retreats inside.
The zombies break in and overrun the house, the father, mother and young girl are trapped in the master bedroom. The pragmatic father wants to shoot the daughter before she transforms, but the mother is emotionally distraught and shields her. In denial, she sings a comforting song to her daughter assuring her everything is alright.
The daughter transforms into a zombie and kills the mother, the father is not mentally strong enough to shoot the daughter but turns the gun on himself. To his horror he discovers it’s out of bullets and the daughter pounces on the father.
The older teenage son, having used fireworks to distract the zombie horde, escapes the neighbourhood with another teenage survivor.
Cast
- Troels Lyby as Dino
- Mille Dinesen as Pernille
- Mikael Birkkjær as Casper
- Marie Hammer Boda as Sonja
- Benjamin Engell as Gustav
- Therese Damsgaard as Anna
- Diana Axelsen as Dorte
- Rita Angela as Elna
- Ella Solgaard as Maj
Release
The film was released in four cinemas across Denmark on March 31, 2016, prompting concern from reviewers that the film could flop due to this. However, the film was made available two weeks later via TDC's streaming service.
The film was released in the US on May 13, 2016.
Reception
The film received a mixed reception. Politiken gave the film five out of six of hearts and called it "the best Danish horror movie since Ole Bornedal's Nightwatch", while Ekstra Bladet and Berlingske Tidende both gave four stars. Jyllands-Posten gave three out of six stars, but both BT and Jakob Stegelmann of Danish film magazine Ekko only gave two out of six stars.