U.K.-France-based sales, production, and distribution house Alief (“Matadero”) has taken international sales rights to Locarno First Look winner “Retreat”(“Réduit”), in which Swiss director Leon Sc…
has taken international sales rights to Locarno First Look winner “Retreat”, in which Swiss director Leon Schwitter deconstructs the delicate relationship between a father and son.
Shot in the shadow of the Swiss Alps, the film depicts the curative aspects of its surroundings. A visual spectacle of green and earth-toned wilderness pairs with the serene sounds of bubbling brooks and insects and birds that chirp just out of view as wind through the trees casts a symphony of its own over enormous scenery, shrinking the protagonists navigating its sensorial depths.
“It isn’t meant to be a classic survival film. There are no extreme disasters to deal with and the character of the father is not an experienced survivalist, but an inexperienced, soft man who doesn’t fit the stereotype of the genre,” stated Schwitter. “We follow father and son as they slowly get closer. They don’t know each other well, yet feel a connection. Their relationship is fragile and much needs to be made up for.
With an increasingly triumphant tone, Michael leads Benny around the grounds at night. Both wearing headlamps, they’re only able to glimpse what’s illuminated directly in front of them.