A teacher, seeking custody of his son from his divorced wife, finds peace with the work he does in a play school where his neighbour-door friend’s kid who develops a special liking for him is enrolled. In a sudden twist involving a statement from the kid, his life turns topsy-turvy & his resilience is given a stern test when he attempts to come out of the warp.
Language:
Danish
Running Time:
115 mins
Rating:
R
Release date:
10 January 2013
Directed by:
Thomas Vinterberg
Produced by:
Morten Kaufmann
Sisse Graum Jørgensen
Thomas Vinterberg
Written by:
Tobias Lindholm
Thomas Vinterberg
Starring:
Mads Mikkelsen
Alexandra Rapaport
Thomas Bo Larsen
Annika Wedderkopp
Music by:
Nikolaj Egelund
Shot by:
Charlotte Bruus
Christensen
Editing by:
Anne Østerud
Janus Billeskov Jansen
Distributed by:
Nordisk Film
Magnolia Pictures

What’s Hot

  • Thomas Vinterberg’s handling of the subject is splendid to say the least. His combined effort with Tobias Lindholm in screenplay is perfect in setting the characters up, building the tempo & giving the viewer the situations necessary to cause an impact.
  • Mads Mikkelsen’s performance as Lucas the teacher is special. He does so well & underplays when required to earn both the respect & the doubt from the viewers’ minds which works to the film’s advantage.
  • The Kid Annika as Clara, Thomas Bo Larsen as friend Theo & Lasse Fogelstrom as son Marcus are equally impressive in their neatly defined prominent roles.
  • The film has some mesmerising sequences aided by apt lighting,photography & music that leaves an impact. To mention a few are the ones in the Church at the Christmas Mass, the one involving the school principal, the kid & the psychiatrist.
  • The father-son bonding aids in building up to a touching & classy emotional climax sequence which also highlights the editor’s work well.

What’s Not

  • The subject is a bit taboo & that might prevent one from enjoying this classic with children.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

A delicate subject has been handled deftly & the powerful performance from the lead actor moves the viewer emotionally.