Off Track follows Lisa, a divorcee who has an unruly drinking habit as a coping mechanism, making her and her daughter’s life chaotic. With her brother Daniel, she embarks upon the journey to ski in the ‘Vasaloppet’ (Vasa-Race).
Off Track (Ur Spar in Swedish) is a Swedish comedy-drama starring Katia Winter in the lead as Lisa along with Fredrik Hallgren, Kelly Flogell, and Rakel Wärmländer as Daniel, Elvira, and Klara respectively. It’s directed by Mårten Klingberg and written by Maria Karlsson. Off Track is set in the backdrop of the famous Vasaloppet Race which occurs annually in Sweden, attracting nearly 60,000 participants.
Off Track Story Summary
Lisa (Katia Winter) finds her life to be a roller-coaster ride after her husband Cesar divorces her. She loses her job, spiraling down into depression and alcoholism. Her daughter Elvira faces the bouts of her mother’s issues as she is constantly late for her school and is uncared for when needed. Lisa, shackled by her problems, still believes that she is a good parent and does not like the crass comments of people saying otherwise.
After being thrown out of a bar one night, she wakes up the next morning and finds herself in jail. She asks a policeman to drop her at her daughter’s school function. There she meets her ex-husband Cesar and his girlfriend Philippa who were also there for Elvira’s performance. Cesar tells her that he knows she was in jail and that if she doesn’t change her ways, she’ll not be able to meet Elvira anymore.
Lisa thinks of mending her ways for her daughter’s sake and becoming a better parent out of fear that she wouldn’t be able to keep Elvira. Her plans are ruined as her apartment gets flooded by water from her washing machine. Cesar takes Elvira away and gets mad at Lisa for being so irresponsible and putting their daughter’s life in danger.
Lisa shifts to her brother Daniel’s house as her apartment needs months to be fixed. Daniel and his wife, Klara, feel uncomfortable by Lisa’s presence as she doesn’t have a nice image in their eyes. However, they welcome her and set her belongings in a guest room.
A therapist takes Lisa’s report because the authorities think she is not capable of taking care of her daughter. When asked about her drinking addiction, she denies it saying it was a one-time thing, but when asked if she ever drinks in front of Elvira she acts guilty, implying that she does drink in front of her daughter. Later that night, she drinks again.
In the morning, Daniel questions her about her drinking problem and asks her to go out with him to ski but when she falls she decides to return back. Daniel advises her not to escape when things get a little tough. She goes to a restaurant for a drink but meets Elvira and Philippa there as they tell her about the vacation to Salen-Mora, where the Vasaloppet race takes place, that they are planning.
Desperate to set an example for her daughter, Lisa replies that she’ll meet them there as she is taking part in the Vasa race, not knowing that it’s 90 kilometers long. Later finding the brutality of this race from Daniel, Lisa regrets her decision but tells him that she’ll have to do it for her daughter. Her brother fills in a spot for her online and tells her it’ll be hard work from then on to prepare for it. They both start practicing daily for the Vasa race.
During this time, Klara feels Daniel doesn’t care about her well-being as he couldn’t arrive early at her clinical checkup before her IVF procedure. Later at the new year’s party, when all their friends are expecting a baby, Klara opens up that they can’t have a baby. Klara and Daniel’s relationship worsens gradually. Meanwhile, Lisa keeps practicing for her ski race and even improves her habits as she stops drinking and starts leading a healthy life.
Soon, the focus shifts to the policeman Anders, whom Lisa had met earlier during her short at the jail. Anders is also preparing to ski with his mother as she is old but adamant about wanting to finish this ski to become a veteran.
Off Track Ending Explained
Klara undergoes another shock when their doctor breaks the news of the embryo not surviving to Daniel on the phone. Later that day, Daniel tells Klara that he still wants to go for the Vasaloppet ski race. At this point, their relationship crumbles as Klara can’t believe how insensitive Daniel is to still give priority to his race after hearing such devastating news.
The day of the Vasa race finally arrives, so Daniel and Lisa pack and leave for the race. They arrive at the destination to learn that Klara has canceled their booking in the hotel and they have to sleep in a school with other competitors. Later, when they are at the restaurant, Daniel meets and befriends Naomi, a very famous social media fitness instructor whose fitness videos he used to watch.
They hit it off smoothly as they both have similar views. She also invites him to show him a better route for the race as well as her personal cabin. They talk all night in her cabin. Daniel feels an eccentric connection with Naomi that he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Meanwhile, Lisa hits it off with Anders. He invites her to sleep at his mother’s place as she has no room for the night. She declines at first but later accepts when she finds out Daniel ditched their plan. Later, Lise has a nice dinner with Anders’ family.
On the other hand, Daniel and Naomi get ready for the ski and make a plan to go to the jacuzzi after the race. Amidst all of this, Daniel also takes off his wedding ring. In the meantime, Elvira has also reached the location and wants to cheer Lisa at the ski race, but Cesar says she won’t be able to spot Lisa within the crowd. Cesar also believes that Lisa would not be able to finish the race.
Determined to cheer her mother, Elvira sets out on the road. Daniel and Lisa meet as they leave on a bus for the starting line. There Daniel tells Lisa that he has decided to give Klara a divorce, but Lisa calls his decision stupid as he doesn’t even know Naomi that well. Irritated with everything going on around him, Daniel leaves the bus as he thinks he’ll be late for the race.
Does Lisa Cross The Finish Line?
The race starts, and all the competitors take off. Klara tries to call Daniel but doesn’t pick up. Midway through the race, Daniel realizes that Naomi only cares about the race and competition; he feels guilty for his own behavior. While resting for a bit at the aid station, he receives a text on his smartwatch, which reads that Klara will be waiting at the finish line.
He stops, not wanting to cross the finish line as he wants to avoid a confrontation. Lisa on the contrary continues her race. Elvira gets on a bus to reach the finish line while Klara takes a cab to reach there. Everyone seems to be going to the finish line, either to complete the race, to cheer for the skiers, or to apologize.
The first winner completes the race in 3 hours. Lisa tries her best with Anders’ mother as her companion for half the way and then skis with Anders until she reaches where Daniel was sitting. Anders stops the race to be with his mother as she becomes sick.
Lisa inquires why Daniel isn’t already at the finish line, and he says that Klara is waiting for him there. Lisa argues with him to make him ski for the finish line, but he moves in the opposite direction to get away from everyone and eventually gets lost. Meanwhile, Cesar and Philippa realize that Elvira has gone missing.
Lisa, on the other hand, is about to give up skiing to the finish line because of a competitor who says that it doesn’t matter if they cross the finish line. But as she reaches the bus to rest, she realizes that she can’t quit now as she is so close to the finish line. Everybody reaches the last stop just in time to see Lisa cross the finish line.
Things end on a happy note as Lisa finishes the race with everyone cheering for her. Klara finds Daniel and they reconnect as a couple. They realize that they both need some space in their relationship. Cesar finds Elvira at the finish line as she hugs her mother, beaming with pride.
Finally, everyone returns home happily with smiling faces. As he attempts to reconcile the differences with his wife, Daniel finds out that Klara is expecting a baby. The investigation on Lisa stops and she is allowed to live with Elvira as she has cleaned up and doesn’t drink anymore. Lisa even focuses on her career and finds a compatible relationship with Anders.
In the end, Lisa finds some success in getting her “off track” life back on track.
Off Track is now streaming on Netflix.
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