Clevercell Very disappointing...

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Micitype Pretty Good

BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

p-stepien In a dysfunctional family headed by a neurotic, depressive and abusive milkman Far (Jesper Asholt), eleven year old Allan (Jannik Lorenzen) stills beholds his father as a role model, unable to grasp the destructive influence he has on other household members. Far terrorises the family with his insecurity, forcibly seeking affirmation of his worth. His mother Sanne (Julie Kolbech) hides away inside from Far's incessant sobbing preferring to take sleeping pills than to comfort her hysterical husband, while older brother Asger (Thomas Knuth-Winterfeldt) has escaped the house and enjoying his student life. Allan tries his best to keep his father happy, nagging his sister Mor (Hanne Hedelund) to do that thing, that she does to keep father away for him suicidal tendencies. Finally he discovers that Far is inwardly joyous whenever he has the opportunity to deliver riveting eulogies, thus tempting Allan to enter a murderous spree to supply his father with eulogies. Allan, still not old enough to see through the manipulative behaviour does the most dastardly deeds out of an innocent belief in his father's greatness.Set in 1970s Danish countryside the story about an abusive patriarch takes a wicked turn into a coming-of-age story dabbling with dry humour, but the subject matter including incest and physical abuse grinds uncomfortably with the the tone of the film. Seemingly light the dark entrails make it a troublesome watch, as it jars with a dramatic contradiction. Narratively loose it also fails to truly develop the story, leaving it somewhat hanging in oblivion making it feel somewhat dragging and exerting your patience at times. Performances are well-rounded, set in the quirkiness of characters, but as the movie goes I found myself disinterested in their development as the story obviously lacks focus, throwing dramatic tantrums, instead of building on the material.

rohdef I guess the title basically says most.Although I don't mind depressing and beautiful movies it get. This although is depressing on another level, simply because almost all movies from Scandinavia is social realistic, so to me it's just another one and I'm left with the thought: "Wow this is impressive, social realistic with a new theme we almost haven't heard of before" (sarcasm for the 'Sheldons' out there).What would be impressive on the other hand would be that we (the Scandinavian countries) started to make something different - not just another social realistic movie. Then the ones that are made might actually make an impression on me.Are we Scandinavians really this boring?So as I said in the title: this is really just another Scandinavian social realistic movie. If you like that kind of movie great. But if you don't (or as I just want it some times and want variation) it gets depressing that it's almost all we got.

simon-psykolog Ever since I first heard that the book by Erling Jepsen was being put into a movie I have been anticipating its release since I have read the book with much pleasure and since I have actually worked on that mental institution Sanne is committed to.It's a story of a family of five, where the oldest brother has left home to study, who are being manipulated by their father who is a neurotic Patriarch. He is the hysterical type, loaded with feelings of inferiority. This combination makes him go on a constant search for reassurance and comfort in a very egocentric fashion to a point where his wife simply gives up and instead either takes sleeping pills or challenges him to commit suicide. His youngest son, Allan, tries to help his father as he has not yet reached a point of maturity that allows him to see through his father behavior and understand it as manipulative. In doing so he becomes just as manipulative but we symphatize and forgive him as we understand that he does it out of innocence and loyalty to his father. As the story develops so does Allan and finally the alliance between him and his father is broken as he becomes more aware of the consequences of his father's actions.The movie takes place in the 1970's and there has clearly been put a lot of effort into making the environment typical of it's time with great success. The acting is flawless and I think it was a wise choice to let young Allan play his part in a very subtly and restrained way. This also makes the sinister themes more bearable to watch as Allan seems more or less unaffected.I would really recommend this movie; it gives a humorous portrayal of some very important themes without ever betraying them.Mojn Simon

MikaelCPH You cannot. Of course not. Still what I find brilliant and special with this film, is that all though child abuse is a main theme, it is still a film where you laugh. That Schønau Fog can make a film about such a horrific subject and still make you laugh. Not that this is a comedy, but because the situation is grotesque. In a child's view the situation in HIS family is normal, and that's (obviously) the point of view from which he (Allan, who's narration makes quite a lot of the "dialogue") tell us what happens: "Sanne makes Dad happy"...And is the only child abuse in the film what the father does with Sanne, or is Allan a victim as well? That the mother is abusing him by her escapistic use of sleeping pills? She actually leave the responsibility for the family's functionality with Allan, who then tries to "make Dad happy", whether it's by acting as a pimp ("Sanne, Dad is crying! You must go downstairs to him!") or by "pushing coincidence"! By... No, you must see this film!