Review: Euphoria

If nothing else, Euphoria proves that two compelling actresses do not a satisfying film make. Marking the English-language debut of Swedish filmmaker Lisa Langseth, who directed Alicia Vikander in her remarkable film debut, Pure, Euphoria stars Vikander and Eva Green as two estranged sisters who meet for a European holiday.

For Vikander's Ines, the holiday would seem to be a chance to repair their frayed bond. For Green's Emilie, it is that as well though re-establishing their relationship is part of her tying up loose ends before she shuffles off her mortal coil. Emilie is ailing, diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the luxurious resort to which she and Ines have checked in is one that caters to people who wish to leave life on their own terms. Unsurprisingly, Ines is shocked, angered and disgusted by these revelations and wants absolutely no part of it. As we wouldn't have a film otherwise, Ines is eventually convinced into staying and hashing out their grudges and resentments during the remaining six days of Emilie's life.

One would expect some powerful sturm und drang given the tale's inherent dramatics, but there's a curious placidity that blankets the film, as if Langseth had decided that sedation would be the proper tone for a film that deals with euthanasia. There are moments when the film hints at being a social satire in the way it briefly touches upon the human tendency to want to leave an impression of a better life than the life actually lived. It even, during a scene in which Emilie connects with a fellow patient, threatens to be a love story in the vein of The Fault in Our Stars. In many respects, any of those would have wiser to explore if only because Euphoria would have had some sort of specific direction. As it is, the film commits to an aimlessness that would be either snooze-inducing or infuriating were it not for its two lead actresses, who somehow manage to rise above the sub-par material.

Euphoria

Directed by: Lisa Langseth

Written by: Lisa Langseth

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Eva Green, Charlotte Rampling, Charles Dance, Mark Stanley, Adrian Lester