AVALON offers a few days in the life of Janne (Johannes Brost), an ageing Swedish entrepreneur. Janne has recently been released from court with an ankle bracelet (for reasons unspecified in the film) and we join him and his sister Jackie (Leonore Ekstrand, aunt of director Axel Petersen) back in the swing of things in the Swedish coastal own of Båstad, where he is going into partnership to open a new club, Avalon, with his friend Klas (Peter Carlberg).

… the last 20 minutes of the film involve a drink and drug-fuelled descent into a desperate moral vacuum …

Petersen highlights the overwhelming lack of responsibility shown by the affluent 60 somethings, with echoes of the worst excesses of the 1980s. All seems to be going to plan for Janne until his carefree, excessive behaviour causes a tragic accident. This is not a film of redemption, and as we follow Janne and his set as they react to this event, it is abundantly clear that the rules of morality are very different within their world. The situation becomes ever more complicated by the arrival of the girlfriend of the victim, and the upcoming opening night of the club. Janne’s mental state deteriorates and the last 20 minutes of the film involve a drink and drug-fuelled descent into a desperate moral vacuum, punctuated by a fantastic hallucinogenic scene of Janne dancing solo to Roxy Music’s ‘Avalon’ on the club dance floor.

Avalon feels like the second instalment of a trilogy, with subtle subplots interwoven into the film that seem to have no explanation of their origins or ending. Petersen shows no sympathy for any of the characters, and without the strong performances of all of the three main actors, interest might have waned. In addition to great cinematography reminiscent of the best of 1990s Scandinavian film, there is depth to Avalon that sets it above being a mildly haunting curio.

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