# Armand (film)

Armand is a 2024 thriller drama film written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, in his feature directorial debut. An international co-production of Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, the film stars Renate Reinsve, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Endre Hellestveit, Thea Lambrechts Vaulen, Øystein Røger, and Vera Veljovic.
The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2024, and won the Caméra d'Or, for Best First Feature Film. It was theatrically released in Norway on 27 September 2024. It was chosen as the Norwegian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, and made the December shortlist.

## Plot

After an alleged sexual aggression between two 6-year-old boys, the parents and school staff are called in to clarify the incident. They convene the parents of the two kids, Anders and Sarah, the parents of Jon, and Elisabeth, the single mother of Armand, who allegedly assaulted Jon.
The entirety of the movie takes place during the meeting between the school staff and the parents.

## Cast

* Renate Reinsve as Elizabeth
* Ellen Dorrit Petersen as Sarah
* Endre Hellestveit as Anders
* Thea Lambrechts Vaulen as Sunna
* Øystein Røger as Jarle
* Vera Veljovic as Ajsa

## Production

Armand is the feature directorial debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, grandson of Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann and Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. It is a production of Eye Eye Pictures, which was launched in 2022 by the former Oslo Pictures CEO-producer Dyveke Bjørkly Graver and producer Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, both of whom worked on Joachim Trier's acclaimed 2021 film The Worst Person in the World. Armand is produced by Berentsen Ottmar, in co-production with Keplerfilm (Netherlands), One Two Films (Germany), Prolaps Produktion (Sweden) and Film i Väst (Sweden). Trier and Bjørkly Graver served as the executive producers.

## Release

Armand was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 18 May 2024. The film made its North American premiere at the 32nd Hamptons International Film Festival, where it won the top honor for Best Narrative Feature. It was also selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the World Cinema section.
International sales are handled by Charades. Norsk Filmdistribusjon theatrically released the film in Norway on 27 September 2024. North American distribution rights were acquired by IFC Films in June 2024. Folkets Bio is scheduled to theatrically release the film in Sweden on 25 October 2024, while Pandora Film is scheduled to release it in Germany on 21 November 2024.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

### Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Prix Un Certain Regard | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Caméra d'Or | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Won |
| Hamptons International Film Festival | 15 October 2024 | Best Narrative Feature | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Won |
| European Film Awards | 7 December 2024 | European University Film Award | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | 7 December 2024 | European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Won |
| European Film Awards | 7 December 2024 | European Actress | Renate Reinsve | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | 8 February 2025 | Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Nominated |