Alpha.

In this chilling Dutch thriller by director Jan-Willem van Ewijk, the Swiss Alps form the unforgiving backdrop for a father-son confrontation. After the death of his mother, snowboard instructor Rein receives an uninvited visit from his extroverted father Gijs. What begins as an attempt to repair their relationship quickly degenerates into discomfort and friction. 

Old wounds resurface, which neither man seems able to deal with. The film benefits from the natural dynamic between the lead actors, Gijs and Reinout Scholten van Aschat, who are real-life father and son and whose glances and gestures make the unresolved grief palpable. As the two alpha males challenge each other in the mountains, they face a double threat: an approaching snowstorm turns their attempt at reconciliation into a psychological and physical struggle for survival, with the inhospitable landscape mirroring Gijs' dominant presence in Rein's life.

The semi-autobiographical Alpha. won the Label Europa Cinemas Award at last year's Venice Film Festival, where it was also nominated for a Giornate degli Autori Director's Award, and was screened at the IFFR earlier this year. After the screening at the Northern Film Festival, director Jan-Willem van Ewijk and lead actor Reinout Scholten van Aschat will be present for a Q&A.