The Last Journey review – Sweden's Ant and Dec hit the road with octogenarian dad
'Do you want to rot away in an old armchair?' asks Filip Hammar, a Swedish TV presenter, talking to his dad. In this charming, often hilarious documentary, Hammar takes 80-year-old Lars on a road trip to the south of France; the idea is to rekindle Lars's spark, shake a bit of life back into him. Since retiring as a French teacher, Lars has been sitting around at home, steadily more depressed and frail. Hammar wants to show his dad that life is worth living. But as you'd expect from a documentary this heart-warming, Hammar has a lesson or two to learn himself.
For the trip, Hammar has bought a knackered old Renault 4, the same car the family had when he was a kid. Their destination is the apartment they rented every summer holiday (judging from the old photos, this was pre-factor 50 sunscreen; everyone was a livid shade of lobster). Father and son are joined by Hammar's best mate Fredrik Wikingsson, another TV presenter. The two are a fixture on Swedish telly; like Ant and Dec they come as a pair, Filip och Fredrik. Their easy, lived-in banter jollies everything along.
The trip is nearly over before it begins, when Lars falls going for a pee at night in a hotel. But Lars is a life-long Francophile, and slowly, slowly, a little of the old charisma creeps back in as the holiday gets into swing. It's not quite enough for Hammar, who is desperate to get his old dad back. (So desperate he hires actors to create the perfect French experience for Lars.) There is a heartbreaking scene when Hammar persuades his dad to cook his old speciality, ratatouille. But poor Lars can barely slice an aubergine.
Hammar's love for his dad, how much he treasures his childhood, is incredibly touching. There's a simple, profound message here for parents – you get out what you put in. And the scene at the end, showing just what an influence Lars had on his students, would squeeze a tear out of granite.
The Last Journey is in UK and Irish cinemas from 20 June.
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