More films from Denmark

I need to get to Copenhagen/Denmark and quick! The more films I see from there, the more it seems like an interesting and beautiful city/country. In the past couple of months since my Anders Thomas Jensen post (November 2008 archives) I've watched three more films from Denmark--Kick 'N Rush, Old Men In New Cars and After the Wedding. Here are my thoughts on those three films.

Kick 'N Rush is a bruised look into teenage life among a small group of friends. Their interests are soccer, girls, getting drunk, hanging out and girls. Teenagers. Life is simple, yet brutal, when you are seventeen. It doesn't matter if you are in Copenhagen or Duluth--teenage angst is universal. Kick 'N Rush has the right tone all the way through it and unleashes the painful and the joyous that is the turmoil of youth. The title's not so good, the film is.

Old Men In New Cars was written by Anders Thomas Jensen (as was the upcoming After the Wedding), has the fetching Iben Hjejle in it and is chock full of Jenson's favorite things. He likes goofy criminals and this has bumbling misfits who come by money in illegal ways and go on the lam. There are a couple of laugh out loud scenes and lots of smaller pleasant ones. Not Jensen's best but still fun.

After the Wedding is the most somber and contemplative of all the Danish films I've recently seen. It's also one of the finest. Highly acclaimed (it was the 2006 nomination for best foreign film), the story is set around a Dane who returns home to try and get money for a school in India where he teaches. When he gets home, events occur that turns his world upside down. This is a sad, poignant film and is much more serious than the other Jensen stuff I've mentioned in this post (and the one back in November). Despite some of the "heavy" subject matter, the film flies by--largely because it is such a high quality film thanks to director Susanne Bier. Good movies feel faster no matter the genre or length.