The day before Karl and Emilie’s son’s naming party, Karl’s estranged mother Vibeke arrives unannounced. Hoping to rejoin the family and prove herself as a grandmother, she inserts herself into the intimate weekend gathering at a seaside hotel. While Karl is furious, his sister Rikke insists Vibeke deserves a second chance. Over the course of the weekend, tensions rise, old patterns resurface, and long-buried family dynamics play out in front of confused in-laws and curious guests. What begins as a celebration quietly unravels into a confrontation with the past, filled with missteps, unresolved wounds, and moments of surprising warmth.
The Guest is a sharply observed drama about roles we inherit, the people we try to become, and the impossibility of ever fully escaping where we come from. Told with both humor and heart, it’s a story about a family trying to hold it together when everything starts to fall apart.
REVIEWS
A stunner
Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
Superbly acted and supremely uncomfortable
Wendy Ide, Screen International
A virtuosic yet restrained performance
Jessica Kiang, Variety
Trine Dyrholm Gives a Scorcher of a Performance
Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter
A magnetic performance with all guns blazing
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Comedy and tragedy in equally beautiful parts
Olivia Popp, Cineuropa