MovieGal's Scandinavian Film Log

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Jagten
(2012, Denmark)
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
9/10
Re-watch

This is one of the best films that Scandinavian cinema has to offer. A man is falsely accused of molesting his best friend's daughter. The town goes on a witch hunt even tho the little girl recants her story. I don't want to say much to give away the story so I will stop. For anyone who follows this thread, this film is one I highly recommend.
I keep meaning to watch this one. I like Mads Mikkelsen anyway so he's a draw – there's also an interesting-sounding one with him called The Door that I'd like to see.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
I keep meaning to watch this one. I like Mads Mikkelsen anyway so he's a draw – there's also an interesting-sounding one with him called The Door that I'd like to see.
Ha! The Door came up the other night when I woke up on the lounge. Looks really good and I noticed it has rave user reviews on imdb as a german scifi.

Gratuitous bump so I can write these movies down in the morning. Thanks MG if you still drop by. I also love scandinavian cinema. Try



I was so impressed with this I watched it something like 4 times on a rainy weekend.



Ha! The Door came up the other night when I woke up on the lounge. Looks really good and I noticed it has rave user reviews on imdb as a german scifi.
God – I'd forgotten how long ago I saw The Door. I watched it not long after that post. I'd call it a supernatural thriller and it's okay but has good remake potential. One snag with it is that Mads is dubbed in German and I missed his real voice, despite him being his usual brilliant self. I think he mentioned on the extras that he would be doing the Danish voiceover so at least they'll get him for real .

Gratuitous bump so I can write these movies down in the morning. Thanks MG if you still drop by. I also love scandinavian cinema. Try



I was so impressed with this I watched it something like 4 times on a rainy weekend.
I saw that probably six or seven Christmases ago and it is a very good film. What was unusual for me was watching The Bridge season three and wondering who Thure Lindhardt was and where I might have seen him before. About three weeks into the series I remembered. He has a really interesting character to play in The Bridge, with one of the best slow-burn twists I have ever seen in my life (plus I guessed early on what it might be and was chuffed at the reveal ).



I keep meaning to watch this one. I like Mads Mikkelsen anyway so he's a draw – there's also an interesting-sounding one with him called The Door that I'd like to see.

yes but Die Tur (aka The Door) is a German film and doesn't fall under this Scandinavian Thread. Mads has done films in a few other languages too.



December 27, 2017



Jadesoturi
(2006, Finland)
Directed by Antti-Jussi Annila
4/5
Rewatch


A film co-produced between Finland and China. It is a mix of the Finnish Kalevala (creation myth) mixed with the traditional Chinese wuxia (martial art hero). The story of Kai in modern Finland and the loss of his girlfriend. Kai, is a reincarnation of a protector a mythical chest and after a series of events, realizes who he was in the past and must fight the Demon with an evil plan. Only to find that his girlfriend is also a reincarnation of his past love.

I love this movie. its one of my favorites.








You can't win an argument just by being right!
I keep meaning to watch this one. I like Mads Mikkelsen anyway so he's a draw – there's also an interesting-sounding one with him called The Door that I'd like to see.


Oh buckle up for Jagten, See. Pretty obvious why he won the Palme D'or for it. You'll rock in the corner after.



You can't win an argument just by being right!
Having a hard time pulling up the link on my phone. Will look later tonight.
Finland's highest grossing film. A war movie that premiered in November. Unknown Soldier directed by Aku Louhimies



Finland's highest grossing film. A war movie that premiered in November.
I'm sure I will get a email from FFF about it...



December 31, 2017



Shelley
(2016, Denmark)
Directed by Ali Abbasi
3/5

A couple hires a woman to help around their isolated farm. After a while, the wife convinces her to be a surrogate mother. As the pregnancy progresses, the woman feels that the baby inside of her is killing her. Over the time, the woman has marks on her body, her skin burns as its washed and the woman sinks into a depressive state. One day, the woman attempts to abort the baby using a knitting needle and she is rushed to the hospital. She doesn't survive but the baby does. The couple takes the baby "Shelley" home and after a short time, the father goes through similar things as the surrogate mother did, as well as the woman's holistic healer. The father attempts to kill the child and ends up dying himself. Only leaving the mother and the baby. At the end, you see the baby giving her mother the same look as the father and the healer.

I did leave a lot of scenes out of my description above as I would prefer other's to watch it and see for themselves. Some of them were disturbing in their own way. The film wasn't bad overall.

And to answer someone's question, this is not like Rosemary's Baby.






January 1, 2018



Tulen Morsian
(2016, Finland)
Directed by Saara Cantell
3.5/5
Rewatch

In the 1600's, in Aland, Finland, a young girl named Anna is in search of her first and true love. Her foster mother is the village healer and herbalist. One night Anna and her friend gaze into a piece of tallow cooled by water and Anna see her love on a boat. A few days later Anna's friend Rakel's husband, Elias, comes home from Sweden. Anna feels that this was the sign she was given. She begins to have an affair with Elias and Rakel soon becomes aware. Meanwhile, in the village, the new governor is concerned about the outbreak of witchcraft in the village. They start to hold trials and Anna's foster mother is the main suspect however many villagers speak in her defense for practicing white witchcraft and not black and she is exiled from the island. Many other village women begin to be accused and Anna spies on Rakel and Elias and realizes that Elias did not care for her as she thought. Anna goes to the judge and accuses Rakel of witchcraft. She is shortly arrested along with more women. Anna realizes her mistake and tries to tell the judge of her error but he ignores it. Anna takes Rakel's baby daughter to see her and explains her mistake and they christen the young baby. Finally, on the day of Rakel's verdict, Anna confesses to the jury of her misjudgment and accuses herself of being a witch. Rakel is set free and reunited with her family. The story jumps forward a bit to Rakel as an older woman and her youngest daughter, Anna Ilanna as a young girl. Anna Ilana asked her mother about Big Anna and proceeds to imagine how she was saved and became the greatest healer of Aland. When in truth, Anna is beheaded and her body burned.

This is one of the biggest witch trials in Finland. Many women were falsely accused and only 6 were executed. The story of Anna is built around the historical event.






January 1, 2018




Bodom
(2016, Finland)
Directed by Taneli Mustonen
4/5

I'm not going to say much. I really don't want to give it away. Just watch it. Its got a great twist at the end. It's a great Finnish horror!









January 2, 2018



Himlen Falder
(2009, Denmark)
Directed by Manyar I. Parwani
4/5
Rewatch

Sara is a troubled young woman who was taken into foster care at the age of 11. Her foster mother calls her to tell her that her real mother had just passed away of cancer. Sara becomes drunk one night and calls her foster mother asking if her brother, Danni, had asked about her. Sara has flashbacks of her brother and herself playing in an abandoned building, where he made promises to take care of her. She decides to go to the funeral but stay hidden from the rest of the mourners. Sara sees her brother from afar and approaches him. He doesn't know who she is. She tells him her name is Matilda and that she needs her car worked on, as Danni is now a mechanic. When she arrives at the mechanic shop, there are two younger girls there. They are Danni's younger sisters. Sara becomes close to her younger sisters and decides to go to her parent's house at night to see what is taking place. She breaks into the house and starts to worry. The next day Sara approaches her sisters at school and tells them that they may not know her but she will listen to anything they want to tell her. She decides to go to the meeting house where her brother is holding a white supremacist meeting and tries to gain admittance. One of Danni's friends comes along and she is gained admittance. Danni's friend gives her a drug to take after the speech which Sara begins hallucinating from. She follows Danni back to his apartment where they get drunk and Sara passes out. Danni, himself inebriated takes advantage of the girl he knows as Matilda. Sara wakes up and rushes back to the apartment where she is staying at to wash herself of disgust. Danni wakens and Sara's phone rings only to be Sara's foster mother looking to speak with her. Sara goes to the bar where Danni hangs out and throws his beer in his face. She goes back to pack her things to go home and her two younger sisters show up at her doorstep, followed by her father. Danni finds Sara at a place they used to play and she confronts him about what their father is doing to their younger sisters. Danni goes back to his garage to release some energy and is attacked by some men. Sara decides to go back to her parent's house at night to check on her sisters and there are many men there. She breaks into the house again and sees her father having a conversation with a man about "no one will tell and do you still want to try her?" Sara witnesses her father filming her younger sisters with a man in a sexual situation. Sara escapes the house out the window and goes to tell Danni what their father was doing with their sisters. Danni tells Sara that their parents told him that she was dead and he wishes she really was dead. The next morning she goes back and confronts her father, finding her younger sister asleep in bed with her father. She wakes her father and tells him who she is. He proceeds to grope her and kiss her. She tells him she is there for her younger sisters. She tells him it's over and she is taking her sisters. One of her father's friends is there and tries to stop her saying that his wife and child must not know. No one must know. Sara and her sisters run out of the house being chased by their father. Finally, they make it Sara's car and drive away. Sara tells her sisters that what they had done to them, she had done to her when she was younger. She promises to take care of them once it is all over and she will take them back to Copenhagen with her. They proceed to go to the police station.








January 5, 2018




Gudsforladt
(2015, Denmark)
Directed by Kasper Juhl
4/5
New Watch

**THIS FILM IS NOT FOR EVERYONE**

This film was a bit extreme. It covered topics of incest, rape, murder and well a few others we won't discuss. I will say it's not as extreme as "Salo" or "A Serbian Film" but it's not far from them either. I found it a bit interesting with the storyline. Mia and Anders are siblings with a close relationship. Their father molests his daughter as their mother sits back and ignores it. Anders takes matters into his own hands and kills his father with a baseball bat and accidentally puts his mother in a coma when she comes to their father's defense.
WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
I have no f***ing clue why dumb b***h


Anders spends 10 years in prison for his crime and Mia is there the day he is released. They go back to Mia's apartment with some friends to celebrate with drugs and alcohol. Mia gets jealous of a girl that Anders shows attention to. After everyone leaves Mia proceeds to lay down to sleep with Anders and as he starts to fall asleep,
WARNING: "graphic spoiler" spoilers below
she proceeds to ejaculate him then goes to the bathroom to masturbate with his semen still on her fingers.


Later that day, Anders and his friend, Simon, pick up rope and bags from their friend, Aske, who wants them to kidnap women at a bar. Simon makes Anders stop the vehicle and pulls one of the girls out to
WARNING: "graphic spoiler" spoilers below
rape her
. He tells Anders to take care of the other girl. Anders tells the girl "I can not help you". The scene cuts to Mia at Camila's apartment. Someone knocks at her door and its a client. Camila asks Mia to stay until she is finished with him. She changes into a dominatrix outfit and leaves the bedroom door open for Mia to see. After the client leaves, Camila makes out with Mia but Mia has visions of Anders with Camila. Mia chokes Camila and proceeds to dig her fingernails into her larynx and kills her. Mia returns home and waits for Anders. Anders comes in and is overcome with emotion from what he did to the girls.
WARNING: "graphic spoiler" spoilers below
He had flashbacks of the girl he kidnapped, forcing her to give him oral sex.
He proceeds to wash the filth of himself with a wire bristle brush. Mia tells Anders he's the most important thing in her life. He has flashbacks of the day he killed his father. Mia and Anders go to the hospital to visit their mother and he starts to blame himself for his mother's coma. Mia comforts him and says she is his as he is hers. Mia falls to the ground and is spitting up blood. Anders notices the front of her pants are wet and that her stomach is moving. He takes her pants off her and tells her to push. She pushes and something
WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
(and I don't know what the f*** it is)
comes out of her. All I can say it was black, covered in hair and was bloody. Mia proceeds to die in front of her brother as he goes out to get a doctor but its too late.












One of the sites that reviewed this film said "If you have a grin on your face after watching [this movie] you are a douchebag and I never want to meet you."




January 6, 2018



Afdeling Q: Flaskepost fra P
(2016, Denmark)
Directed by Hans Petter Moland
3.5/5
Re-Watch

This is a Eurocrime from Denmark. It is third in a series: Kvinden i buret, Fasandræberne and Flaskepost fra P. A psychopath is kidnapping and extorting children in the name of religion. Detectives Mørck and Assad are researching old cases of children from religious communities to track down and rescue the latest two victims. Only to discover, the kidnapper was subjected to similar treatment as he projecting onto his victims.

I love these Department Q films. I hope they continue to make them. Nikolaj Lie Kaas is one of the biggest names in Denmark right now and spreading over into the United States. Fares Fares has been in a few American films himself.

Originally there was talk of doing the three but I know Jussi Adler-Olsen, the author, has made 7 books for the Afdeling Q series and I hope there will be more turned into films, as long as they stay in the Danish language.








If anyone is interested, they are currently streaming on Netflix.




January 8, 2018



Skammerens Datter
(Denmark, 2016)
Directed by Kenneth Kainz
3.5/5
New Watch

A fantasy/adventure film from Denmark. A woman and her daughter's ability to probe someone's mind and cause them to rethink the things in their life and bring shame if needed. A King, his pregnant wife, and their 4-year-old son are killed and the accused is the King's oldest son. The court sends for the Shamer to come and probe his mind for his crime but no crime is found. The king's illegitimate son sends for the Shamer's daughter to also hurry the trial but still, the King's son has done no wrong. The illegitimate son tries to kill the Shamer's daughter but the king's son comes to her aid and they both are on the run. The king's illegitimate son stops at nothing to put the crown upon his head and to kill anyone who comes in the way. The Shamer's daughter is captured and both mother and daughter are to be eaten by a dragon as being accused of as "witches". When the king's illegitimate son is put to the test, the Shamer's daughter cannot find any guilt in his heart but she turns to the crowd to see them eaten and is able to reach into their eyes and heart to see the truth.

I thought this was pretty cool. I was hoping at it was based on some folklore from Denmark but haven't found any connection yet. The houses fighting for the crown was the Ravens and Drakkons and the connection of having dragons in the movie, I really wanted it to be based on their folklore.

It was well written and entertaining. What could I expect from one of Denmark's greatest writers/directors, Anders Thomas Jensen? Jensen has won 36 movie awards and additional 31 nominations as both Writer and Director. Jensen has written many films screenplays both in Demark and America (He co-wrote the screenplay for Stephen King's "The Dark Tower")








If you would like any suggestions on films written or directed by Anders Thomas Jensen,
please ask, I have plenty.



I was just reading something about Anders Thomas Jensen, which I guess not many knew... this is about Lars Von Trier's Antichrist

"Several notable names appear in the credits as having assisted Trier in the writing. Danish writer and directors Per Fly and Nikolaj Arcel are listed as script consultants and Anders Thomas Jensen as story supervisor. "

Nikolaj Arcel directed The Dark Tower and co-wrote it with Anders.