Story
Filip Hammar and Fredrick Wikingsson are a well-known Swedish TV duo who embark on a trip to France with Filip’s elderly father Lars. Lars was a much-loved French teacher for 40 years and a wonderful storyteller, who had always had a great zest for life. When he retired, he had planned to travel and enjoy life with his wife Tina but things didn’t work out as planned and Lars gradually slipped into depression. Tina and Filip find it increasingly difficult to watch their ailing husband and father decline and lose the will to live.
Filip decides to try and reinvigorate Lars’ spirit by once again taking him on their regular family holiday to the French Mediterranean. On the journey, Filip tries to recreate many of the adventures they had experienced as a family. Eventually Filip, intially hugely optimistic that he will get his father back, realises that Lars is, in fact, quite frail. He does succeed, however, in bringing joy back to Lars’ life.
Themes
Ageing; road trips
Violence
The Last Journey has some violence. For example, Lars falls out of his hotel bed and requires a trip to hospital. It’s found he has broken some bones and requires some rehabilitation.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in The Last Journey.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
The Last Journey has some substance use – for example, smoking and drinking on various occasions, including while driving a car.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in The Last Journey.
Product placement
The Last Journey has some product placement, including Coca Cola, Red Bull and Renault.
Coarse language
The Last Journey has some coarse language and name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Last Journey is a docudrama about a very personal and emotional story of a man’s obvious love for his ailing father. The movie has some positive messages and is likely to appeal to an older audience.
These are the main messages from The Last Journey:
- the legacy you leave behind is important
- the bonds between a father and son can be strong.
Values in The Last Journey that you could reinforce with your children are optimism, resilience and gratitude.
The Last Journey could also give you the chance to talk with your children about what happens in different families when elderly parents eventually become too old to look after themselves.