The Commune.

Thomas Vinterberg latest cinema release The Commune (2016) is set in Copenhagen in the mid 1970’s where we discover that Erik, a teacher of ‘rational architect’, has inherited a large manor house that belonged to his father. Eric financial circumstances will not allow for its upkeep and he thinks its best if he sell’s the house, but his wife Anna, a popular TV newscaster and his teenage daughter Freja want to keep it. Anna convinces Eric to set up the huge property as a commune and share the upkeep between the occupants. Invitations are issued and interviews take place. At first it all works out very amicably with every one getting on well, taking part in the many kitchen table meetings, the dinners and the parties. That is until Eric falls for one of his female students and moves her into the commune. At first Anna accepts the fact that her husband no longer wishes to sleep with her but is happy for Emma to stay at the commune. But this utopia doesn’t continue and the repercussions from Eric’s actions affect everyone.  

 

The kitchen table meetings.

Based on a play called Kollektivet written by Vinterberg and Mogens Rukov, which was inspired by the directors own childhood experiences. It’s a ‘family’ drama with a difference, emotionally moving but at times very funny, the film has a star cast that portray exceptionally well this touching portrait of a generation of idealists who have never quite fulfilled their dreams. 

 

Will Anna except the new comer?

Emma gets to know Erik. 

The Danish director and Dogme 95 co-founder is best known for the brilliant Festen (1998) another family drama, this time involving a family gathering to celebrate their fathers 60^th birthday during which long buried secrets resurface, and The Hunt (2012) which stars Mads Mikkelsen as a teacher whose accused of sexually abusing a young child in his care. Erik is played by Ulrich Thomsen, who has appeared in some remarkable World Cinema outings including Festen, Brodre (2004), the award winning In a Better World (2010) the German thriller The Silence (2010) and the Danish police procedural A Second Chance (2014). The Danish actress and singer Trine Dyrholm plays Anna who was also in Festen and In a Better World as well as the historical drama A Royal Affair (2012). It also features Vinterberg’s wife Helene Reingaard Neurmann as Emma, along with Lebanon born Fares Fares and Danish TV and film actor Lars Ranthe as members of the commune.

Festen (The Celebration)

It is often said that you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family, which seems to be proved in the case of Thomas Vinterberg’s 1998 psychodrama Festen. When Helge Klingelfeldt invites his family and friends to his vast hotel to celebrate his 60^th birthday he hopes that his three surviving children, Christian, Michael and Helene, Christian's twin sister Linda recently committed suicide at the hotel, will attend and give the impression of a united, happy and loving family. That evening as the assembled gathering take their places at dinner Christian raises his glass in what they think will be a poignant toast to his father. But his eldest sons speech is certainly unexpected and leads to a tragic and heart breaking night where Happy Families will never again be the game of chose.

 

A birthday speech that would change every thing.

This is the first film created under Dogma 95 rules. Founded in 1995 by Vinterburg and Lars von Trier it was set up to purify filmmaking by not using special effects, post production modifications and other things deemed as ‘technical gimmicks’. The filmmakers were to concentrate on the story and the actor’s performances. Among the rules laid down are that the film must be shot on location, no music should be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot, all camera work to be hand held and in colour, no special lighting and the film must be shot on 35mm stock.

Sister Helena is deeply effected by Christian's speech.

As far as Festen was concerned this way of filmmaking could not disguise the fact that Vinterberg and co-writer Mogans Rukov produced an extremely well written script, the acting is first rate and movie is superbly well directed.  Christian is played by Ulrich Thomson who appeared in the German film The Silence (2010) and In a Better World (2010), which won Best Foreign Language Film at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. We saw Thomas Bo Larsen, who plays Michael, in another of Vinterberg’s film’s The Hunt (2012) which tackled alleged child abuse and Danish actress Paprika Steen, who portrays sister Helena, was in the British film Skeletons (2010) with Jason Isaacs. 

  

The Hunt.

We’ve had some really thought provoking films as part of Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre Film Club over the years but none more so than the Danish drama The Hunt (2012). A film whose subject matter is never far from the headlines: the accusations arising from the sexual abuse of young children. Hosted by Julie McMorran who began the evening by giving us some background to both the director and the main lead actor.

Thomas Vinterberg, whose looks defy his age, is a Danish film director born in 1969, who in 1995 along with his fellow countrymen, the enfant terrible Lars von Trier, Kristian Levring and Soren Kragh-Jacobsen, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking which laid down specific rules to simplify movie making including creating films without artificial technology or techniques. Vinterberg made the first film created under this movement. The award winning Festen (1998) is about a family gathering to celebrate the 60^th birthday of their father. At the dinner the eldest son publicly accuses his father of sexually abusing both him and his now dead sister. Further success was not forthcoming until 2010’s Submarino restoring his reputation in his native country.

Mads Mikkelsen has been making feature films since his debut in Pusher in 1996 is probable best known in the UK for playing Le Chiffre, the villain who cries blood, in Casino Royale (2006), Rochefont in The Three Musketeers (2011) and Johan Struensee in The Royal Affair (2011) which received a nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2013’s Golden Globe Awards.

The 6 year-old Klara is interviewed by her Head teacher.

Peter Bradshaw described The Hunt as a portrait of pure evil, and he was not referring to any of the individuals in the film but to the subject matter, where everyone is to blame and yet no one is to blame for the emotional backlash generated against an innocent man.  The story takes place in a small close-knit Danish community. Lucas (Mikkelsen) is an over qualified nursery teacher, recently divorced and estranged from his son who he obviously loves deeply. 6-year-old Klara is the daughter of Lucas’s best friend but would appear to lack affection from her parents and turns to Lucas for the warmth and the love she craves, but he rejects her innocent advances. Following a crude incident involving internet pornography she cruelly tells the kindergarten’s headmistress a pack of lies that will have a life changing effect on the stunned Lucas.

All hell breaks loose at the Christmas Eve service.

A reveling study of modern day human emotion, without sermonising, dark and upsetting but not without a certain humour. Beautifully filmed with autumnal scenes and colours that at times offset the bleakness of this extremely tough watch. Mikkelsen certainly deserved the Best Actor Award at 2012 Cannes Film Festival because while you were intently watching Mikkelsen you never once saw the actor, only the character. Thanks must go to Julie who skillfully introduced a movie with a problematic subject matter but one that certainly resonates through Britain today with the repercussions from the Jimmy Savile affair.