Nordkraft

At times films of the same genre tend to be very similar in both style and substance. In the case of Nordkraft director Ole Christian Madsen at times crosses the border between being inspired and copying. Visually, the film bears a striking resemblance to "Requiem For a Dream" (another film abut drug abuse) and at times the soundtrack even sounds identical. This at times makes the film come a bit too close to being a copy, which is a shame, as it is a fine film about a number of people caught in the drug underworld. The film depicts the way a number of people try to escape the drugs and the environment, but realize how hard it is to turn your back on a world you have lived in for so long. The movie follows three stories, all well acted, but one of the stories concerning a young girl and her relationship with her pusher boyfriend, is a bit shallow. The other two stories (concerning a junkie trying to quit to get his girlfriend back, and a former drug-runner trying to start a new life) dominate the film. Generally a good film, and visually one of the best Danish films in years, even though Madsen could have leaned a bit less on the previous films in the genre.

Nordkraft

Directed by Ole Christian Madsen (2005)

This movie deals with three different people and each their story. The one thing they have in common is the fact that they all have roots in the drug world of the Danish city Aalborg. Maria's boyfriend is a minor local pusher, and she's going on waiting for something big to happen for them; though slowly recognizing that her dream has become an illusion. Allan returns to Aalborg after a serious accident hit him, when he worked on a ship in the Atlantic. Afters his returns his past catches up with him, and he must deal with some serious decisions. The last person we follow in Steso. Steso, or Thomas as he's really named, is a full time junkie, who's only purposes in life are his girlfriend and getting high constantly. But after his girlfriend has meat someone new, his present as he has known it till now is being threatened.

These are three good stories but without a main thread between the three of them. The director has used relatively young and inexperienced actors, with Thure Lindhart as the exception. This means that the acting has some flaws and doesn't seem convincing throughout the movie. But it helps give the movie a more rough tone and dialect, helping to create great atmosphere this movie has. The visual side is also really good, containing some really cool dolly shots of the leading characters. An interesting movie that shows that drugs and the problem that follows doesn't just exist in Copenhagen.

7/10

But amazing film of a group of people (3 are couples) who are all connected through the drugs trade. They all having problems that arise from the profession and viewed from different angles of the pushers, the users and their partners/friendships/family all struggling to cope. The film is trying to cover so much territory and almost too complicated it requires repeated viewings to capture all details. Some violent scenes portray the edge of seat chaos of drug subculture in Denmark, maybe lacking humor as these people are living desperate lives but they all trying to get out of their situation, very interesting.

The fact the Nordkraft takes place far away from Copenhagen, but deals with typical big city issues, makes it somewhat interesting. The problem is that it just doesn't tell my why we are i Aalborg. With the title "Nordkraft", the scene is set for something different from a standard junkie movie. But that is exactly what we get, a standard junkie movie, nothing more, nothing less. The characters are stereotypes and doesn't bring anything new to the table. I like the choice of music in the movie, it works so far as emphasizing the moods in the scenes.

The actors deliver convincing performances, but again the is problems. There is no consistency in the use of dialects, and some of the characters actually gain dialects during the movie.

Being a danish movie, there is lots a nudity. Not overdone and generally good to look at.

By that, I don't mean Maria, Allan and Steso (Thomas) who were meant to be the three main characters. I mean Maria, Allan and Hossein. All the way through, I was hoping for Steso to get more interesting or more involved in the slowly interconnecting story. At the same time, I was straining to learn more about Hossein, the Persian war veteran with enough self-esteem to share.

As an English-speaker, I could not help compare this film with *Trainspotting*. It is a very 'f*** life' philosophy and comments more than once on the bourgeois and their habits.

I also could not help but compare the camera-work with that of *Requeim for a Dream*. David Stratton would hate it: rushy and giddy - but I like that sort of thing. There was no stop-motion that I remember.

I did like the sound-track, but I may be biased because the lyrics were often in English.