Dennis

I had this down as a documentary about a shy bodybuilder going out on a date with a girl he knows via the local gym . You can perhaps understand my mistake . I consciously avoid reading up on a short in case I get prejudiced about what I'm about to watch alongside the write up giving away important plot turns etc . It wasn't until about four minutes in to the running time that this Danish short was a drama and not a documentary

Now I've got to admit I'm not totally clued up about Danish cinema . From the little ones I have seen they tend to be hard hitting and so totally dark and gloomy they'll have you reaching for anti-depressants . In fact there does seem to be a certain level of irony that the main reason Denmark was in the news in recent years was down to an artist drawing cartons of the prophet Mohamed . Perhaps the headlines might be more accurate in pointing out someone in Demark has a sense of humour shock horror ? In other words DENNIS is something of a great surprise . It's similar in premise to that highly regarded Ronnie Corbett comedy from the early 1980s called SORRY where middle aged Timothy Lumbsden finds himself still living at home with his parents who still regard him as a child . That said SORRY was more interested in belly laughs while DENNIS concentrates on subtlety and there's long dramatic pauses as the audience are allowed to digest the information on screen and let them realise this isn't so much a situation comedy but something far more blackly comical where if we're totally honest when we stop to think about it there's not anything funny at all about the situations featured . In short it's a black comedy that carries a hard punch

I thought this was like a day in the life of a bodybuilder documentary.

Very sad the life of a lonewolf bodybuilder.

Would like to see a sequel.

Just saw this in 2021..

Mainstream film banks on action explosions sex and graphics.

This film is not gratuitous in any way. It is honest and humble.

This small film from 2007 is an artistic piece in my opinion.

The beauty of this short film is in its subtleties...

The brilliance in this film is in its silence. in what is not said.

this film would not have worked without the amazing physique of the protagonist.

I also came across this short via youtube...oh lovely youtube. I can't believe that youtube is outlawed in some countries (ie. China)...thank goodness there are internet proxies that you can use to circumvent the "censorship".

Back to the film: the timing and editing is very well done. Great director. Nice performances.

The reason I did not give this a 10 is that I am from a mainstream film background...I base my opinions of Hollywood blockbusters like the majority of dumbasses in the world.

I love it for the gentle way to give the story. For inspired acting. For realism of dialogue. For atmosphere. For the wise manner to explore the connection mother - son and all its inner pieces , easy to imagine them. I love it for the high simplicity, for the melancholical air and for the message. And, no doubts, for admirable job of Kim Kld in a role far to be easy to explore in fair way.

Found this film through Youtube, it's featured on the videos of the day or something like that. It went unexpectedly good. There were tender moments when you can't help but feel for Dennis. The characters were believable, the main actor who played Dennis make Dennis a real character we can relate to.

The story... well, the story. Dennis is an introvert bodybuilder who still lives with her mother. He forms a somewhat unhealthy attachment with her mother (reminds me of Bate in Psycho, but well, it's not that creepy). So, when Dennis tells her mother he's going out with someone, her mother tries to prevent him from going. The movie is about what happens when he's going out and dis-attach from his mother for a night.

The film is very well done. The dialogue was great, the characters were believable, and I think there'll be psychological discussion after people watch this. I think this deserves much more viewings, and much more endorsements.

9/10