The Idealist - Geheimakte Grönland

Yet again I am reminded of the power of cinema to entertain, educate and inform. Yes I know it's all manipulation and the real meaning is constructed in the edit room, but last night I saw a Danish film 'The Idealist' (2015) which was an expose of the conspiracies surrounding a nuclear disaster at the Thule airbase in Greenland during the Cold War, Greenland then being a colony of Denmark which the Americans wanted to buy. In 1968 a there was an American bomber plane crash carrying four nuclear war heads on the base, and during the clean up both Americans and Danes were infected by radioactivity. Throughout the film we followed the efforts of a whistle blower journalist Poul Brink in the 1980s to expose the accident, get survivors recognised for compensation and the then Prime Minister uncovered for the deal he'd secretly done with the Americans to allow nuclear weapons on the base at all. Original archive footage was seamlessly woven together with fictional dramatic performances. I was ashamed that yet again, this event had happened during my lifetime but I had been ignorantly unaware. in fact, I haven't felt so ashamed since watching 'Hotel Rwanda.' I was gripped by the performances and the unfolding of events. I came away better informed and impressed again by the intelligent medium of cinema to move and engage me.

While it began a little fast paced, I loved the acting and the true story is worth a read. The editing is brilliant, the use of real footage and old film alongside the shot scenes is wonderful, and the switches between Danish and English dialogue aren't hard to follow. I wish we made more amazing Danish films like this one!

This movie is about an international cover up of unbeliveable proportions.

During the cold war an american airplane chrashes in Thule base, Greenland carrying 4 neuclear bombs. One pilot dies in the chrash and in the afterward clean up the workers get poluted with plotonium and get sick and die.

However, as danish journalist, Poul Brinck, many years later starts asking the quistions no one wants to answer, both the danish as well as the american goverment firmly denie any connection between the many deaths and the dangerous plotonium polution after the plane chrash.

But this is not all. As its turns out, the danish and american government has kept yet a much bigger secret hidden - not only for the danish and the american population - but for the whole world.

This is director Christina Rosendahls second serious movie. Peter Plaugbor delievers a remarkeble performance as the idealistic journalist, Poul Brinck. With "Idealisten" Christina Rosendahl enters the big stage of serious movie makers.