The Conference Review (Netflix Film): Clever and Darkly Funny Satire of Corporate Culture (Konferensen)
Cast: Eva Melander, Katia Winter, Adam Lundgren, Lola Zackow, Bahar Pars, Cecilia Nilsson, Jimmy Lindström, Christoffer Nordenrot
Directed By: Patrik Eklund
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Conference (Konferensen) is the latest slasher genre product added to the already well-stocked Netflix catalog. Swedish-produced and directed by Patrik Eklund, the film follows a group of mismatched municipal employees on an out-of-town retreat for a team-building weekend before the construction of the Kolarängen shopping center. Although it is a weekend designed to be together and get to know each other better, differences soon begin to emerge within the group, caused by jealousy and suspicion. Lina, one of the employees who has just returned from a period of illness, discovers that one of her colleagues, Jonas, has signed papers for the wrongful expropriation of land by local farmers for the construction of the shopping center. Not only that: she also learns that one of these farmers, due to the confiscation of his farm, took his own life.
Can a quiet weekend of team building among colleagues turn into carnage? Obviously yes if we are watching a film on Netflix, which lately seems to be madly in love with the slasher. The Conference – this is the name of the new Swedish horror comedy available on the platform – follows a group of municipal employees during a weekend of teamwork to learn to cooperate before the opening of the local shopping center. A ruthless masked killer, however, is ready to ruin their plans. And their lives. As we will see in our review of The Conference, the film directed by Patrik Eklund certainly does not stand out for its imagination, faithfully reproducing all the clichés of the slasher genre. However, it remains a decent entertainment product, also capable of placing the viewer in front of a complex moral dilemma.
The Conference Review (Konferensen): The Story Plot
A diverse group of municipal employees goes for a weekend out of the city before the construction of the new shopping center in the town of Kolarängen. The retreat aims to combine business with pleasure: develop the skills necessary to work together on the new project and, at the same time, get together and get to know each other better with team-building exercises amid nature. Soon, however, internal differences within the group begin to emerge, mainly because the construction of the shopping center will result in the expropriation of land from local farmers. In a climate of envy and rivalry disguised as team spirit, a ruthless masked killer begins to claim victims around them; when the group realizes it, however, it will be too late.
The Conference Review and Analysis
From their arrival at the accommodation facility in the middle of nature, it immediately becomes clear that, behind the team building weekend, there is only a group of decidedly mismatched individuals, in total disagreement with each other and solely oriented towards their interests. And it will be precisely this rampant hypocrisy that will prove fatal for the group: too busy putting up with each other and slandering each other behind their backs, the municipal employees will take a while to realize that a masked serial killer is wandering around the bungalows claiming victims. Only in the desperate fight for survival will the group finally discover team spirit, but will they be able to collaborate effectively without ever having done so before or will the mad killer be able to exploit the individualistic inclination of the participants to take them out one by one? What is certain is that everyone (or almost everyone) will learn that unity is strength; or, at the very least, it can help bring the skin home.
The Conference presents a complex moral dilemma. The council wants to build a huge, state-of-the-art shopping center that will give prestige to the city of Kolarängen and attract new inhabitants. To start the work, however, it proved necessary to expropriate plots of land from local farmers with devastating consequences: we learned immediately, in fact, that a local farmer took his own life after the confiscation of the farm without having been paid any compensation. However, the tragic event must not be disclosed to the employees, because after all, as the team leader – in charge of shoveling the first clod of land where the shopping center will be built – says, “it is necessary to break a few eggs to make an omelette”. So who is the real killer? The municipal council that brings the farmers to their knees for what they consider the “well-being” of the city (i.e. their pockets) or the masked killer who, following this interpretation, can be seen as a sort of avenger? It’s up to the viewer to choose which side to take.
The masked killer uses any useful object that comes to hand to carry out his massacre among municipal employees: from a shovel to a boat engine, from a scythe to a frying pan. The only weapon we never see in his hands is certainly his imagination. Yes, because The Conference fits perfectly – including clichés – into the slasher genre so loved lately by Netflix which, just recently, distributed titles such as The Murderous Readers’ Club and Totally Killer (film with Kiernan Shipka of which you can find our review), just to name a few. The desire to refer to much more well-known franchises such as Scream and Happy Death Day is clear: a masked psychopathic killer, a delimited space, a varied arsenal, and, obviously, lots and lots of blood. The film directed by Patrik Eklund stands out only for the age of its characters and, consequently, for the themes covered. Despite this, just like almost all works belonging to the genre, The Conference still represents a decent entertainment product for those who are not looking for great originality.
The Conference Review: The Last Words
The Conference certainly doesn’t stand out for its imagination, faithfully reproducing all the clichés of the slasher genre. However, it remains a decent entertainment product, also capable of placing the viewer in front of a complex moral dilemma. The film is a clever and darkly funny satire of corporate culture. Eklund does a great job of lampooning the clichés and absurdities of team-building exercises and management jargon. The film is also surprisingly suspenseful, with some genuinely gruesome kills. The cast is excellent, with stand-out performances from Katia Winter as the cynical and resourceful Anna, and David Dencik as the over-the-top motivational speaker Peter. Overall, The Conference is a fun and well-made horror-comedy. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something a little different.
The Conference Review (Netflix Film): Clever and Darkly Funny Satire of Corporate Culture (Konferensen) - Filmyhype
Director: Patrik Eklund
Date Created: 2023-10-14 17:42
3
Pros
- Clever and darkly funny satire of corporate culture
- Surprisingly suspenseful with some genuinely gruesome kills
- Excellent cast with stand-out performances from Katia Winter and David Dencik
Cons
- Not for the faint of heart - contains graphic violence and gore
- Some of the humor may be too dark for some viewers
- The film's pacing can be a bit slow at times
