Drama

FESTEN-THE CELEBRATION (1998)

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You’ve gotta respect Danish directors Thomas Vinterberg and Lars Von Trier. By creating the Dogme 95 Manifesto, they ushered in a new wave of filmmaking that bucked the system and allowed them and others to make some very interesting work. Their manifesto put the power back into the hands of the artists and away from the studio system. The rules, also know as The Vow of Chastity can be found here:

http://www.dogme95.dk/the-vow-of-chastity/

This was brought about to balance the extremely high budgets that the studio system worked with and more power to them. In a world where we are inundated with the studio fare it is refreshing beyond words to watch this powerful film.

The only other Dogme 95 film I have seen thus far was Open Hearts by Susanne Bier and it was superb. Story and character are of key importance and consequently we get a newer, purer form of cinema and story-telling.

Here, Henning Moritzen plays Helge, the father who has invited his extended family to his hotel/castle to celebrate his 60th birthday but as the dinner/festivities proceed deep, dark secrets come to the surface and turn the celebration into something quite unforeseen.

His children gather and try to come to terms with the death of their sister.
Michael, played by Ulrich Thomsen-who was excellent in Brodre, Susanne Bier’s film that was remade, not nearly as well though, by Jim Sheridan, Christian (Thomas Bo Larsen-Pusher/The Hunt) and Helene (Paprika Steen-Open Hearts) are all excellent, breathing life into the functional dysfunction of the family unit. Birthe Neumann plays Helge’s wife Else with all the dignity and stature of a woman in this position.

As you know by now, I rarely talk too much about the plot, not wanting to spoil your enjoyment but suffice to say this is a film about families, secrets and lies and does not shy away from letting you really experience a family at a crucial juncture in it’s journey.

There are a plethora of Danish films have been made of late that push the envelope of what can be done with cinema (Reconstruction, Dogville, The Five Obstructions, The Hunt etc etc).

Families, eh? What ya gonna do?

Next stop-The Idiots.

Anybody have any Dogme 95 recommendations?

4/5

BUY THE 10th YEAR ANNIVERSARY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

 

ENEMY (2013)

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“Chaos is order yet undeciphered”

Doppelganger – ‘a ghostly double or counterpart of living person’

Denis Villeneuve evokes Hitchcock, Haneke, a splash of Noe and a pinch of Lynch in this strange, disturbing, mysterious and Kafkaesque thriller.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays a school teacher, Adam, who discovers there is an actor who looks just like him, he then proceeds to seek out this double and the puzzle begins.

This is truly an unsettling film and will, without a doubt leave you scratching your head. This is what art is capable of, begging questions of its viewers. It is much more intriguing and satisfying than having everything tied up in a neat little compartmentalised bow. The colours and music help to unsettle the audience. Cinematography by Nicolas Bolduc and the music is by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans.

What is real? What is imagined? What is going on? What is it saying? There are many theories and apparently Villeneuve has kept quiet, apart from saying “If you look at Enemy again, you’ll see that everything has an answer and a meaning.”

Based on Jose Saramago’s novel, The Double (the quote at the top of this review and the beginning of the film is taken from it), this has got to be one of the most powerful films I have seen this year, this was eminently more enjoyable than Villeneuve’s last foray, Prisoners. The screenplay by Javier Gulon is tautly written juxtaposing the looser pace of the film. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent, yet again playing the teacher and the actor. Melanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon are brilliant as the women in the two Jakes’ lives. Special mention goes to Gadon for expertly portraying a complex role with absolute conviction.

People will either love this or hate it, the haters will be the ones that want everything packaged up the way Weinstein wants to give it to you but for this viewer it is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The less said plot wise, the better, the trailer is below but avoid if you want a movie experience unclouded by various images from the film.

Just watch the film, you may be able to unlock the puzzle.

4/5

BUY THE BLU RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE