The Wrong Track Review: Messy but Motivating Underdog Story

The Wrong Track Review

Director: Hallvar Witzø

Date Created: 2025-02-27 17:47

Editor's Rating:
3

The Wrong Track Review: Directed by Hallvar Witzø and penned by Lars Gudmestad, Maria Karlsson, and Vilde Klohs, this Norwegian Netflix movie På villspor whisks you away on a surprise rollercoaster of feelings. Starring Ada Eide as Emilie, a woman whose life is a mess, and Trond Fausa as her no-nonsense older brother Gjermund, the movie also stars Christian Rubeck as Joachim (her ex and the father of her child), Marie Blokhus as Silje (wife of Gjermund), and a couple of others who contribute to the crazy but emotional story.

This 90-minute movie follows Emilie as she begrudgingly makes her way through, not just finishing, but surviving this harrowing cross-country ski race called the Birken after her brother effectively goads her into getting on the ball. It’s part sports drama, part family struggle, and overall self-discovery.

The Wrong Track Review

I never quite knew what to think of Netflix’s The Wrong Track initially. The premise was simple enough—a woman with her life in disarray gets a wake-up call and tries to turn it around—but the presentation? That is where it differentiates itself. Emilie is no rags-to-riches prototypical heroine. She is a trainwreck. She’s drunk, she’s a mess, and she seems lost for all anyone can do. To see her, I couldn’t help but want to applaud her and shake some sense into her at the same time. And that is all the more realistic because of the character.

Her interaction with Gjermund is another gem of the film. He’s the complete opposite of Emilie—organized, disciplined, and, frankly, a bit of a nuisance. Their relationship is laughable in the way only siblings can be. They argue, they resent, but beneath, there’s affection. And Gjermund’s tough love? It’s harsh, but you can sense it’s born out of care.

I have to say, Ada Eide fully embodies this character. She acts Emilie so naturally that you can’t help but feel sorry for her. Even when she’s behaving terribly, there’s something about her that you find yourself wanting to care about. It’s not that she must prove herself to the Birken; it’s that she must prove to herself that she’s better than the mess that everyone sees.

Trond Fausa, too, like Gjermund, is great. He is so convinced in the role of the grumpy, tired older brother that I could almost feel the tension in his voice. The tension between him and Emilie is one of the movie’s great pleasures—it’s funny, maddening, and, at times, genuinely emotional.

Okay, so let’s talk about the race. You’d think this would be one of those sports movies where the protagonist overnight becomes a sports legend, but The Wrong Track does not play it easy. Emilie doesn’t just struggle. She fails. She whines. She threatens to quit more than once. Her training isn’t some movie fantasy, some montage of Hollywood—she does it slowly, clumsily, and with a million setbacks.

And that’s why I loved watching it. It’s not necessarily about overnight success and being the best; it’s about testing yourself, even when you believe you can’t. The event itself is really intense but rather oddly emotional as well. I found myself exhaling, waiting for her to cross, when I had absolutely no idea whether she would. It’s not about winning; it’s about proving that she’s more than people think she is.

The only thing that totally blew me away was the location. The Norwegian landscape is gorgeous when it snows, and even if you don’t ski (like me), you’ll still be awed by how beautiful everything is. The film doesn’t romanticize it, but it’ll have you wanting to do it—cold-free, of course.

The humor in the film is dry, wry, and sometimes so deadpan you may not even notice it’s occurring if you’re not careful. It is not a laugh-out-loud film, but it’s got these little, cringe-worthy moments that just feel so real. If you like that sort of humor, you’ll like it.

Now, is The Wrong Track a revolutionary film? No. The storyline is predictable—once you’ve seen it, you realize that this is a story of redemption, and you’re not surprised by anything. There are some parts of it that feel hurried, and I would have liked to see a bit more of some of the supporting actors, especially Gjermund’s wife, Silje. Her story is interesting but does not get as much attention as it could have.

Also, as much as I love an underdog tale, there were a few times when I wished that the film would delve a little deeper into Emilie’s struggles. We do see her journey, but some of the emotional scenes could have been more powerful. But they don’t gloss over anything, and I like that. It’s not some sort of magic change—it’s progress, and that makes everything feel real.

Summing Up

Norwegian movie The Wrong Track is an excellent watch. It’s not setting out to be some big, life-altering movie, but it does successfully what it does attempt to achieve—tell a simple, direct story of persistence, family, and being present when nobody else will. And if you’re stuck, perhaps it will give you the minor nudge to get you headed in the right direction.

The Wrong Track 2025 is now streaming on Netflix.

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