by Molly Page
The Last Resort is a Norwegian and Danish film from director Maria Sødahl. It follows a Danish couple on vacation in Gran Canaria (an island in Spain) with their two daughters. On their way back from the beach, the family accidentally hit an Afghan man with their car, and dealing with the guilt they try to help him. Tensions arise however as the man keeps returning and asking for help and money.
The Last Resort follows an interesting trend of films in 2026 that deal with moral dilemmas like The Drama or Fjord. Here Europe’s ongoing struggle with immigration is centre stage. The film asks questions about the lengths someone would go to, to help someone out and where strain may occur. The motives of every character are scrutinised and morally dubious.
An early dinner scene between Mikkel, Louise and a family they have made friends with on the trip, highlights how the characters react to uncomfortable situations very early on. The other couple are discussing a certain frequency that keeps cats away from neighbourhoods, to which the husband makes a remark about how he wishes there were a frequency to keep African immigrants away. Louise laughs along with the joke, showing how she is willing to compromise her values for others. This willingness to go along with other people’s racism, continues on when she is the first to start questioning if Ahmad is scamming them. Mikkel on the other hand does not laugh along. In a close up shot, it is noticeably clear he is uncomfortable by the comment however he does not speak up. He later mentions how unfunny and racist the joke is, but only in private company. It is made clear that Mikkel does not deal with confrontation, which later reflects his reaction to move hotel rooms to avoid addressing Ahmad.
The children in particular play an interesting role in the film, not fully understanding the situation they are in. They are often shielded by their parents away from the issues at hand, while being explained concepts of fascism and racism. Due to this, they are quick to point out how their parents are racist, though they may deny it to themselves. They can see through the hypocrisy.
The film does an excellent job of establishing the setting. From the pristine, high-class resort that the family is staying in, the overly crowded refugee camp and the barren desert-like area in between. Evoking a clear class and privilege distinction between each setting. The film reminded me at times of Speak No Evil (2022) and especially Infinity Pool (2023), though it stayed firmly in the drama genre, rather than anything horrific.
The Last Resort discusses the many ways in which immigrants are discriminated against on the island. Ahmad never considers the police as an option to deal with the car accident. He faces medical racism, where he cannot get a prescription for antibiotics and when they try to treat him in the resort, they are kicked out because he is not allowed there. He is discriminated against by the taxis on the island, making it unclear how he is moving between the refugee camp and the resort, especially with his hurt leg. Even when on a bus tour to see ruins, the family come across a group of fascists who mistaken the tour bus for one holding immigrants. They at first threaten violence and attempt to hijack the bus before realising it holds tourists. Louise meets a teenage boy who is an immigrant from Senegal, who she fears might be trafficked on his way to the refugee camp. These various methods of discrimination are mostly implied or often sanitised depictions of the everyday violence perpetrated against the immigrants of the island.
While I find The Last Resort to be well intentioned, it does fall into problematic tropes due to its chosen perspective. Ahmad is more of a narrative tool than an actual character. He propels the story forward, but we do not know much about him internally. This is an intentional choice to mimic the perspective of Mikkel and Louise and their questioning of whether he is scamming them for money. However, it means the audience is incredibly distanced from the character, not fully empathizing with his struggle because there is an underlying suspicion that it could be a lie. Like when he arrives at the hotel room and tells them that his wife and daughters have been kidnapped by the Taliban back in Afghanistan. The audience is led to question if this is a tale of hardship is just a ploy to get them to pay him more money. His fate only continues this lack of care. His character is merely a functional tool, a reason for white guilt over the immigrant crisis. The irony is that the film falls into the same traps as Mikkel and Louise. Centring on white emotions, as the film closes in on the distraught couple, sitting outside the dancing circle. Thus, while The Last Resort can be an interesting look into the tourist/immigrant dynamics, and the hypocrisy of white wealthy families who hold ‘liberal’ politics. It does fall into some traps when depicting immigrants through a victim framing.
The Last Resort is screening in the Hurtigruten Nordic Film Festival at Palace Cinemas.