Director Thomas Vinterberg’s first television series tells the story of a family who must say goodbye to their home and each other as the Danish government evacuates the country due to rising water levels.
What if your country were evacuated? How would you function as a refugee, separated from your friends and family? These are the questions Oscar-nominated director Thomas Vinterberg and co-writer Bo Hr. Hansen pose in Families Like Ours, a sweeping series set in a near-future Denmark where the government evacuates all citizens in response to national flooding.
At the centre of the series is Laura (Amaryllis August), a high school student in love with Elias (Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt), both in their graduating year. Laura and her supportive family — successful architect father Jacob (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), stepmother Amalie (Helene Reingaard Neumann), journalist mother Fanny (Paprika Steen), uncle Nikolaj (Esben Smed), and his husband Henrik (Magnus Millang) — must navigate the impacts of the evacuation. These include a housing market crash, widespread denial, and displacement. As the family is torn apart, Laura sets off on a harrowing journey, fuelled by the hope of reconnection.
Families Like Ours is less about a disaster than community and our shared fears. It explores the best and worst of ourselves with authenticity. As in his previous work, Vinterberg continues to examine family dynamics, connection, and character, but with the advantage of having seven episodes at his disposal. Audiences are in luck as TIFF is screening the full series — fitting for the work of a director who has presented multiple films at the Festival over the last 25 years.
GEOFF MACNAUGHTON
Content advisory: homophobic/racist/transphobic language
Screenings
Scotiabank 2
TIFF Lightbox 2