Denmark – We Are Movie Geeks

SCARLET – Review

2026 is turning out to be a big year for those fans of the bard, but then, William “Big Bill” Shakespeare has never really had a bad year in popular culture, and we’re not talking years, but centuries. And not merely on stage, the first venue for his works, but in the movies. Now, many films are “line-for-line” adaptations, while others have used his themes as a “starting point”, much like WEST SIDE STORY, which has had its “progeny” (GNOMEO AND JULIET). Of the scribe’s plays, it’s “Hamlet” that seems to be this year’s big “inspiration”. Though it was technically a 2025 release, it’s almost a “sure bet” that HAMNET will snag some Oscar gold. That story of the “melancholy dame” has even been translated into animation. Yes, way back in 1994, there was THE LION KING (which got sequels and a CGI “live-action” remake), but now it’s getting another animated “spin”, though it’s closer to anime. And there’s a “gender swap” too, as its title character is a princess named SCARLET.

As the story begins, Princess Scarlet (voice of Man Ashida) is wandering alone through a dusty desert. The desolation ends when she is dragged down a watering hole by gnarled, claw-like hands. An elderly woman appears to tell her that she is in the “Otherworld”, a limbo-like region for the recently deceased, before their journey ends either dissolving into “nothingness” or basking in the heavenly afterlife of “Infinite-land”. Scarlet screams at the old woman, explaining that she can’t be dead, which prompts her to think about her past life. In 16th-century Denmark, she is the only daughter to kindly King Amulet (Masachika Ichimura), a widower who weds the cruel Gertrude (Yuki Saito). She plots with the king’s envious brother, Claudius (Koji Yakusho). Soon their plot to seize the throne succeeds when Amulet is framed for criminal misdeeds and is executed. A distraught Scarlet devotes herself to becoming a fierce fighter, with fists and swords. The conflict erupts at a big celebration ball when we see that a potion is poured into a goblet. Cut to Scarlet writhing in agony, then back to the Otherworld as she frees herself. Along the barren landscape, she encounters strangers from many eras (bandits with guns, camel caravans, etc.). Then, somehow, she bonds with a paramedic, a young man from modern-day Japan named Hijiri (Masaki Okada). He wants to continue healing others, while Scarlet embarks on a trail of revenge when she learns that Claudius and several of his underlings are also in this weird place. Can this mismatched duo work together in order to enter the Infinite-land, or will Scarlet’s uncle triumph? And is there a chance either or both will return to the land of the living?

This imaginative spin on a classic was written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who gifted moviegoers with another unique artistic interpretation a few years ago with his “Beauty and the Beast”-inspired BELLE. Huzzah to his dedication to classic drawn animation, which he has cleverly integrated with modern tech to provide detailed textures to figures and backdrops. It also stylistically separates the two “worlds” that Scarlet occupies. The real Denmark has a linear look resembling a children’s book illustration from early in the last century. The “in-between” Otherworld has a more “lived-in” appearance as each traveler carries the dust, dirt, and “mileage” of their journeys. Hosoda also provides a nice “tribute” to a couple of celebrated cartoon “gizmos” from the Fleischer Brothers Studio, a rival to Disney from the 1920s to the 1940s (the creators of Betty Boop, who also made the first screen incarnations of Popeye and Superman). At a couple of points in the story, we’re treated to elaborate dance numbers with characters whose renderings seem to be drawn over live footage of dancers, much like the use of “rotoscoping” (tracing over film of live actors) as used by many “Golden Age” US studios. Also, for heightened dramatic effect, Hosoda utilizes photographs and miniature sets, much as the Fleischers did by framing their clear cartoon drawings against tiny sets on a turntable (an early 3D feel). But these flourishes would falter without the superb storytelling and the expertly crafted staging and movement (concise acting and gesturing), from the quiet moments of the romance between Scarlet and Hijiri to the violent battle set pieces (the princess is quite a fighter). Yes, there are some tropes here from the anime world (the principals scream with wide-open mouths), but it never detracts from this fable of the afterlife. For lovers of animation who want something beyond the usual slapstick and adorable animals, Scarlet is quite an engaging cinematic fantasy.

3 out of 4

SCARLET opens in select theatres on Friday, February 6, 2026

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 & 3” TV Series Review

Back in 2011, the Scandinavian crime series, “The Bridge,” was not only hugely popular in Europe but spawned quite a few remakes and derivatives on both sides of the Atlantic. The now oft-used premise is that a body is found straddling the national border of a bridge joining Denmark and Sweden, creating jurisdictional confusion. That gets worse when they discover that the top and bottom halves are from two different women. Successor series have been set on the US/Mexico, Singapore/Malaysia, Greece/Turkey and the Russia/Estonia borders. A France/England version used the Chunnel in the same way. That list may be more illustrative than complete, since variations exist under non-bridgey titles. In each, a cop from one side partners with one from the other, despite cultural and personal differences that add tensions and friction to the whodunnit component.

This original paired Sweden’s detective Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) with Denmark’s Martin Rhode (Kim Bodnia). Since all cop duo dramas or comedies must begin with irritating differences, Saga is somewhere on the high-functioning end of The Spectrum – brilliant, hyper-focused, feeling virtually no emotions in her professional or personal lives, and blunt with everyone about what she’s thinking – unable to use normal sensitivities in any conversation. What she thinks will be what she says.

Martin is the grizzled, world-weary Dane who can be soft and supportive when the situation calls for tact. The two don’t particularly like or understand what makes each other tick, but mutual respect evolves during this somber season of shared sleuthing, weaving their way through a maze of political and financial motives and suspects.

Season Two opens 13 months after the first and introduces some new detectives before settling in with the first pair. This year’s plot escalates from the realm of crime to international terrorism. Even so, there’s a significant carryover from Season One affecting roles and actions in the new case. Without providing details, the season ends in a way that might preclude the two sharing any other cases.

Season Three, another 13 months later, pairs Saga with a younger Danish partner, Henrik (Thure Lindhardt) and returns to the more familiar realm of civilian murders, with a serial killer dispatching victims in apparently ritualistic, attention-seeking displays. Really gory, too, with each posed differently. Both seasons are filled, if not overrun, with characters and subplots, giving viewers more of a challenge than average. As usual, I recommend starting from the beginning to understand the carryover elements. Bingeing each season is advisable for keeping their plots and players in mind. As one expects from a Scandinavian drama, the tone is somber – longer on mood than action, and even lower on moments of levity. Both sets do a pretty good job of living up to Season One’s level of quality in scripting, acting and production values. A final fourth season aired abroad and is sure to follow here shortly. Stay tuned , as they say…

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 and 3,” mostly in Swedish and Danish with English subtitles, streams on Topic starting Tuesday, Dec. 26.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

FLEE- Review

The following review was originally posted on December 2, 2021

This weekend sees the release of a new documentary concerning a subject that’s been covered extensively in the news over the last several years: the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Yes, it’s been part of the political debate, and countless reports have flooded the news outlets, not to mention feature-length and short-subjects “docs”. And yet this one feels fresh and immediate. Perhaps that’s due of the medium as this is an animated feature (well, about 95% of it), proving that that said medium (it’s not a genre) can be used to tell all sorts of stories (remember Spidey grabbing an Oscar, and the stop-motion drama ANOMALISA). Plus it’s a most intimate tale as it’s a coming of age saga related by a man whose later lifestyle would leave him no choice but to FLEE.

This true story of the now-adult Amin (voice of Riz Ahmed) commences in present-day Copenhagen as he is interviewed by a former classmate and friend Jonas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Amin isn’t eager to share painful childhood memories, as he finishes his education in the US while starting a home with his partner Kaspar. But he indulges his pal with early recollections of growing up in Kabul, during the turbulent 1980s. He romps through the dusty streets while clad in one of his sisters’ dresses, dashing into the kitchen just as his grey-haired mother prepares Dinner. Many of those silver strands came from losing her military pilot husband who was arrested when the new communist regime took power. As the battles crept closer to the city, Amin’s family had no choice but to escape. Luckily his oldest brother, who’s a “cleaner’ in Sweden, meets them in Moscow, the “holding place” until they can join him (he’s trying to get the funds together). Over the next months, the family must hide in the tiny Russian apartment, avoiding the police, as they attempt to leave the country via arduous hiking and a rusted cargo ship all arranged by brutal human traffickers. Through it all, Amin trudges forward while realizing that his sexuality would prevent him from ever returning to his homeland.

Much as with the aforementioned SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, the art of animation is elevated beyond family fables and musicals, to delve deeply into one man’s journey, both geographic and emotional. And though much of the current animated fare is done digitally, this film harkens back to the golden era of hand-drawn, or 2-D, films with the look of a graphic novel brought to vivid life. The main characters are given a simple outline, the thickness resembling a pen point or perhaps a well-worn marker. Basic curved lines and slashes represent the main features like eyes and noses. The colors are natural and subdued, often bathing the characters in a hue to emphasize their moods or the urgency of the sequence (the blues make us feel the cold during a winter trek through the snowy woods to the “escape vessel”). Yet there’s still room for moments of whimsy that might not have worked with live-action (a wink from an 80s action movie star). Early on, we even get a homage to a sketched MTV staple from A-Ha. Best of all, the choices help us focus on Amin and his family, as the bystanders are often rendered with blank faces, while the most harrowing memories are down with a jittery urgency with silhouettes blurring across pale color swatches. And kudos to the sound mixers who place us right in the middle of brutality, then suddenly escort us to the bliss of the countryside. It’s a triumph for the director Jonas Peter Rasmussen who co-wrote the film with its subject Amin Nawabi (their screen voices, Ahmed and Coster-Waldau, are also part of the producing team). My biggest compliment is that it feels like a feature version of the great shorts from the National Film Board of Canada (the highlight of many traveling animation fests). With its distant approach, FLEE. puts us right in the well-worn shoes of this weary world-explorer.

3 Out of 4

FLEE is now playing in select theatres and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

FLEE – Review

3 Out of 4

FLEE is now playing in select theatres

LAND OF MINE – Review

In the realm of “docudramas”, the one war that seems to be a bottomless well of stories is that second World War (and usually the sequel comes up short). Film makers bring us tales often unknown by the general public. Last (and endured) week, we were given a new spin on II’s predecessor WW I in THE OTTOMAN LIEUTENANT (mind you a fiction story with a real historical backdrop). This week sees another little known story of the war in Europe. Less than a year ago, an assassination plot against a high-ranking Nazi stationed in Czechoslovakia was dramatized in ANTHROPOID (still sounds like a monster movie to me). And at last year’s Academy Awards the story of the Sonderkommandos, SON OF SAUL, took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This week’s new release travels a bit north for a view of the war. Actually, it’s not the war, but rather post-war, with the ink still drying on the peace treaties. But things are still far from peaceful. Oh, and this film scored an Oscar nom, though THE SALESMAN took home the statuette last month. With the recent hit animated film, many may think of Denmark as the land of Lego, but for this new film it’s the LAND OF MINE.

It’s May of 1945, Germany has finally surrendered, but Danish Sgt. Carl Rasmussen (Roland Moller) is still in full combat mode. After venting his rage on a group of defeated enemy soldiers, he is given his post-war assignment. He will oversee a group of German prisoners-of-war as they find and disarm several hundred landmines buried in the beach on the West Coast of Denmark (the Axis believed that this would be the locale for the Allied invasion). Incredibly dangerous work, but the sergeant believes they should “clean up the mess they made”. Then when he meets his charges, the grizzled military man is stunned. The fourteen POWs look to be barely over 14, more boys than men. Nonetheless, he escorts them to their ocean front locale, a rundown shack that’s deserted save for a small cottage and farmhouse nearby occupied by a young single mother and her six year-old daughter. Carl and his trusty dog oversee the boys as the carefully poke the sand and clear the beach (luckily they have a crude map of the landmine placement). These boys must carry on this deadly mission while dealing with a lack of food (prisoners are low priority while the locals are hungry). As the days pass, the sergeant gets to know his crew, especially the twins Ernst and Werner (Emil and Oskar Belton), their high-ranking office, the twitchy Helmut (Joel Basman), and their real leader, the compassionate Sebastian (Louis Hofmann). Surprising himself, Carl begins to respect the lads, perhaps they have released his paternal instincts. He soon realizes that the military’s promise to send the boys home once the beach is cleared may not be kept. What can he do? And what will he do?

This largely unknown historical tidbit from over 70 years ago makes for an interesting story, but the talented ensemble are what makes it so compelling. Luckily the story’s main focus is expertly portrayed by the riveting Moller as a very tough but complex soldier. In the powerful opening scene he is truly a Sergeant fury, a “clenched fist” of a man nearly as explosive as any hidden landmine. Rasmussen insists that the age of his charges doesn’t matter, he only sees the uniform of the enemy. We’re not told of his background or family, but we wonder if he’s lost everything and everyone aside from his loyal pooch, the only recipient of his smile. Slowly we see his icy demeanor begin to melt, but not without enormous resistance. Finally he begins to question himself and his superiors, as the fallen foes become human beings in his eyes. One superior, Liuetenant Ebbe played by Mikkel Boe Folsgaard, never has such an epiphany, his humanity almost replaced by his cold dead-eyed stare. The POWs are composed of a group of superb actors, with Hofmann outstanding as the kind, older brother surrogate Sebastian to the group. Eventually he breaks through to the sergeant, even engaging in a sweet, almost father-son discussion of faith. Basman’s character is a bit more complex, as his Helmut is equal parts venal and pathetic, trying to appear tough, while taunting his brothers in arms. Speaking of brothers, The Belton twins as the Lessner sibs have perhaps the most heartbreaking subplot. When tragedy strikes, one of them becomes one of the walking dead, a haunted soul now completely lost. He reminds everyone of their possible gruesome fate.

Writer/director Martin Zanvilet has crafted a remarkable war drama devoid of gun-blazing battles, but just as spellbinding and suspenseful. While we squirm in our seats during the tense defusion sequences , he also gives us a moral quandary to consider. Yes, these soldiers were part of Hitler’s army, but with the war finished, how long must they pay the price for their homeland’s evil? Most look far too young to be part of the Axis forces. Perhaps in those last days any boy who could hold a rifle was scooped up, torn from their families, destined to be “cannon fodder”. As the sergeant says, “As they are dying, they cry for their mammas”. Certainly the Danes suffered, but many became “sore winners”, hoping that the “mine scrubbers” would be erased by their country’s own weapons. This gives an extra heft to the scenes in which the lads outline their unlikely future plans (“I will work in a factory” “I just want to EAT!”). It’s challenging fare for audiences used to just rooting for the “good guys” to triumph over the “bad guys”. LAND OF MINE is a bold statement on the rules of combat and morality that explodes our ideas about “peace time”.

4 out of 5

LAND OF MINE opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

KLOWN – SLIFF Review

I normally do not subscribe to the hipness of using “OMG” but found the obnoxious acronym making numerous appearances in my mind while watching KLOWN. Based on the popular Danish television series by the same creative force, the film fine tunes its awkwardly direct and unbelievable content to fit perfectly within a feature film.

KLOWN follows the antics of Frank (Frank Hvam) and Casper (Casper Christensen) as they embark on the “Tour de Pussy,” an annual pilgrimage to the estate of a wealthy man who hosts the best prostitutes from around the world for just on day of unforgettable debauchery. But, this is the story of their journey, not of the event itself. After Frank makes an utter mess of his relationship with Mia (Mia Lyhne) following some major, unexpected news. He joins Casper for a canoe trip down the river to the big event, but not without making a complete disaster of that as well.

Co-written by real-life comics Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam, and directed by Mikkel Norgaard, KLOWN pulls few punches and shies from even fewer taboos, but approaches the material with a distinctly European style. The film is a hilarious riot, but garners its laughs with subtle, brilliant tastelessness. Structurally, the film resembles THE HANGOVER, but with an ironically higher level of maturity. In many ways, KLOWN combines the vulgarity of this style of comedy with the awkwardness of THE OFFICE and the intelligence of Louis CK’s TV series LOUIE.

The key ingredient to the underlying story of KLOWN, is the young boy named Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen) whom Frank uses catastrophically as a tool to prove to Mia he is a responsible man. Despite the crude nature of the comedy, KLOWN is actually a movie with a message, nearly invisible but present, as Frank gradually learns how to be a better man. Frank and Casper are polar opposite personalities, but work well together, like Abbott and Costello or Lucy and Desi. Both characters are accidents waiting to happen, walking magnets for things to go horribly wrong.

KLOWN’s real appeal comes from Frank’s misguided actions aren’t without good intentions, albeit microscopic, but are masked by his selfish nature, a trait he is entirely oblivious too. Casper’s relentless pathology for sex only exasperates the many gut-wrenching scenes, dragging Frank and Bo along with him through the muck and filth. There is a very clear and well choreographed chain reaction at play here, allowing the absurdity to play out naturally on screen.

Fair warning goes out to those easily offended, as KLOWN raises the shock bar higher than we’ve seen in American cinema, yet does so with a much more candid, more easily digestible formula to swallow.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

KLOWN will play during the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival on Monday, November 12th (9:30pm) at Plaza Frontenac Cinema and again on Friday, November 16th (9:30pm) at Wildey Theatre.

KLOVN: THE MOVIE (CLOWN) – Fantastic Fest Review

I normally do not subscribe to the hipness of using “OMG” but found the obnoxious acronym making numerous appearances in my mind while watching KLOVN, or CLOWN: THE MOVIE in English. Based on a popular Danish television series by the same creative force, the film fine tunes its awkwardly direct and unbelievable content to fit perfectly within a feature film.

CLOWN follows the antics of Frank (Frank Hvam) and Casper (Casper Christensen) as they embark on the “Tour de Pussy,” an annual pilgrimage to the estate of a wealthy man who hosts the best prostitutes from around the world for just on day of unforgettable debauchery. But, this is the story of their journey, not of the event itself. After Frank makes an utter mess of his relationship with Mia (Mia Lyhne) following some major, unexpected news. He joins Casper for a canoe trip down the river to the big event, but not without making a complete disaster of that as well.

Co-written by real-life comics Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam, and directed by Mikkel Norgaard, CLOWN pulls few punches and shies from even fewer taboos, but approaches the material with a distinctly European style. The film is a hilarious riot, but garners its laughs with subtle, brilliant tastelessness. Structurally, the film resembles THE HANGOVER, but with an ironically higher level of maturity. In many ways, CLOWN combines the vulgarity of this style of comedy with the awkwardness of THE OFFICE and the intelligence of Louis CK’s TV series LOUIE.

The key ingredient to the underlying story of CLOWN, is the young boy named Bo (Marcuz Jess Petersen) whom Frank uses catastrophically as a tool to prove to Mia he is a responsible man. Despite the crude nature of the comedy, CLOWN is actually a movie with a message, nearly invisible but present, as Frank gradually learns how to be a better man. Frank and Casper are polar opposite personalities, but work well together, like Abbott and Costello or Lucy and Desi. Both characters are accidents waiting to happen, walking magnets for things to go horribly wrong.

CLOWN real appeal comes from Frank’s misguided actions aren’t without good intentions, albeit microscopic, but are masked by his selfish nature, a trait he is entirely oblivious too. Casper’s relentless pathology for sex only exasperates the many gut-wrenching scenes, dragging Frank and Bo along with him through the muck and filth. There is a very clear and well choreographed chain reaction at play here, allowing the absurdity to play out naturally on screen.

It’s difficult to say whether CLOWN will get a theatrical release in the US, but my gut reaction is that you’re best chance of seeing this comedic gem will be on DVD and/or blu-ray. This actually makes me sad, as the film rivals, even exceeds, THE HANGOVER and other American films of this type. Fair warning goes out to those easily offended, as CLOWN raises the shock bar higher than we’ve seen in American cinema, yet does so with a much more candid, more easily digestible formula to swallow.

IN A BETTER WORLD – The Review

It’s always interesting to a foreign perspective on an issue making headlines here in the United States. Bullying in school has been a topic of discussion here very recently in the wake of several suicides of children who were taunted over sexual orientation. I wonder if schools in Denmark have the same problems? The winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film, IN A BETTER WORLD answers that question. It also tackles the problems of war lords in impoverished African countries. This film attempts to connect several forms of bullying.

The film begins in Africa where Anton works as a traveling physician to several villages. Complicating his duties is a local warlord who cuts open the bellies of pregnant women in order to find out the gender of their babies. Anton is barely able to save the life of a young woman who is rushed into his make shift clinic. In London, Christian, a boy around ten years old, is reciting a poem at the funeral of his mother who lost her battle with cancer. He and his father Claus are moving to his grandmother’s home in Denmark. At his new school Christian witnesses another lad, Elias, being picked on by a pack of boys lead by the taller Sofus. In his new class Christian shares a desk with Elias. After school the pack returns to taunt Elias. When Christian speaks up, Sofus smashes his nose with a basketball. That night he lies to his father about the injury. Elias returns home to his mother Hanna and his kid brother Morten. Later they pick up his father, Anton, from the train station. There we find out that Anton and Hanna are separated. The next day on the school playground Christian sees Sofus follow Elias into the rest room. Christian follows and as Sofus grabs Elias, Christian sneaks up from behind and pummels Sofus with his bicycle tire pump. As Sofus writhes on the floor in pain, Christian pulls out a hunting knife, grabs Sofus by the back of the head, and threatens to kill him if he bothers either of them again. The boys soon dash away and Elias hides the knife. Presently the police are called in, then the parents of the two. The boys tell the principal that they will not fight anymore. Days later Anton takes his sons and Christian out for a day of boating. Whole getting some ice cream Anton hears Morten fighting with another boy at the swing set. As Anton pulls the boys apart, the other boy’s father, Lars, rushes up. He screams at Anton and slaps him in the face. The boys are stunned that Anton refuses to fight back. Anton explains that this is how wars are started and that he’ll not stoop to that man’s level. Later the boys spot Lars parking his work van near the auto body shop. When Christian finds some old fireworks in his grandparents’ garage he enlists Elias in a plan to exact revenge on Lars. Soon Anton is back in Africa where that same warlord who had been mutilating young women comes in to have his wounded leg treated. Should Anton help ” the big man’ ? And what will happen to his son’s scheme with Christian?

IN A BETTER WORLD tackles the difficult issue of how to respond to a bully. How much defensive force is too much. The young boys give strong, sensitive performances especially William Nielsen as Christian whose stoic face hides the intense pain of losing his mother. Mikael Persbrandt has the most complex role as Anton. At home he must decide to set a non-violent example to his sons while dealing the dissolution of his marriage. At work it’s the constant flow of patients and what to do about this brutal warlord. I appreciated the African scenes, but they take away from the compelling story of the two boys back home. The film is well acted story of the ways people can choose to deal with conflict.

Overall Rating: Three Out of Five Stars

SLIFF 2009 Review: TERRIBLY HAPPY

Audiences should find themselves terribly satisfied with TERRIBLY HAPPY (Frygtelig lykkelig), co-written and directed by Danish filmmaker Henrik Ruben Genz. This is a dark and moody drama that often feels more like a thriller. The movie could be described as being a little bit BLUE VELVET and a lot BLOOD SIMPLE, but that wouldn’t do justice to the film having it’s own character, despite its influences.

Robert (Jakob Cedergren) is a cop from Copenhagen with a secret, which has landed him in a small rural town in Denmark. Robert is the town’s new Marshall. At first he finds himself an outsider, having difficulty fitting in and learning the ways of the locals, surrounded by bogs and mushy soggy ground everywhere he steps. It doesn’t take long before he meets Ingerlise (Lene Maria Christensen) who is married to the town bully Jorgen (Kim Bodnia). Ingerlise confides in Robert that her husband beats her repeatedly and, while Robert is tempted to intervene, he withholds judgment in an effort to better understand the situation.

This situation, as Robert quickly comes to understand, is a tricky and potentially dangerous one that involved the entire town. This is a town where the locals prefer to take care of things themselves, choosing not to involve outsiders. As Robert begins to slowly piece together the dark truth of how this town functions, he is also slowly drawn into the complicated mind of Ingerlise, who may not be playing with a full deck of cards. A deadly triangle of cat and mouse is sparked involving Robert, Jorgen and the town leadership after an accidental death occurs and Robert finds himself in a pickle that will forever change his life.

Right from the first frame of TERRIBLY HAPPY, I found that this was going to be an enjoyable film. Regarding my earlier comparison to BLOOD SIMPLE, this film has shown so much influence from the Coen Brothers’ body of work that I find it difficult to believe the influence isn’t real. This is not a bad thing, in fact, Genz has brilliantly tapped into the relatively unique styling of the Coen Brothers and made it his own.

TERRIBLY HAPPY is, in many ways, structurally and visually similar to BLOOD SIMPLE. This is a film noir story, set outside of a major city, that primarily involves two men and a woman in a dangerous love triangle. The cinematography sets a dark and moody atmosphere and the visual storytelling is illustrative of a filmmaker who udnerstand the power of a carefully selected shot or framing to further enhance what is happening on screen without pulling the audience out of the story.

While far less of an influence, David Lynch’s BLUE VELVET comes clearly to mind, especially as Robert begins to understand there’s just something not right about Ingerlise. Much in the same way Isabella Rossellini seduced Kyle MacLachlan into her web, only to find that he’s pout his own life in danger from the psychotic Dennis Hopper, Ingerlise has drawn Robert far enough into her web that he may never escape the spider’s den. However, in this the case the spider isn’t Jorgen, it’s the town itself.

Aside from the absolutely stellar and particularly creepy performances of the entire cast, it’s the atmosphere created within this film that resonates in collaboration with a solid story. TERRIBLY HAPPY is a suspenseful mystery, emphatically made more exciting by it’s score from Kaare BjerkÃ¸, a body of music that also rings of an influence from the Coen Brothers’ films, who often employed the very talented Carter Burwell.

There is so much tactile depth to TERRIBLY HAPPY that I wanted to dive back in after completing the film. As I watched the film, I felt uneasy whenever Robert uncovered something or felldeeper into the town rabbit hole. I felt his anxiety about his past and the fear the hid just beneath the surface, generated by his complete disorientation regarding his own future. Jorgen became a character with virtually no emotion of his own, making him all the more frightening. Ingerlise is an enigmatic and bi-polar puzzle that Robert desperately wants to solve, but will he do so before it’s too late?

TERRIBLY HAPPY is a tightly-knit film, full-bodied and rich with character development and quality writing. If there’s nothing else I can say to describe how well this film works, I’ll simply say that I am now eager to view some of Genz’s previous work, although this may possibly be easier said than done. Fans of movies that offer mystery and suspense should not go hesitantly into this film. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoyed films such as RED ROCK WEST, BLOOD SIMPLE or BLUE VELVET.

TERRIBLY HAPPY will screen at the Frontenac on Friday, November 13th at 9:15pm and on Saturday, November 14th at 9:30pm during the 18th Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival.

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Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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