To appreciate this piece of film making 100 percent you should devolve into the story telling, without expecting an action story, but rather the thought of the effect of a religious wishes in an otherwise chaotic upbringing.
The Danish film "I losses time", also known by other titles like "In the hour of the Lynx" or "Den 25. Timen" ("The 25th hour"), which is explained in the film as an hour where the cat animal lynx reaches another dimension. The lynx is told to sleep for 21 hours of 24, uses 3 hours to find food being very alert, and having a 25th hour of deeper consciousness, the hour outside it all, when we are at our most happy At least that is the theory of the inmate after being told stories about it by his grandfather. The film grabbed my interest right from the start, made up as a mystery, as it is. The story is based upon a stage okay by Per Olof Enquist, and is filmed in both Sweden and Denmark.
The narrator voice of a female priest starts off this, and tells the story if a teenage boy being imprisoned for a double homicide seemingly without reason. The boy gets the attention of a young female researcher which is allowed a project at the mental prison concerning the use of pets amongst inmates. Pushed calls upon the priest when the boy attempts suicide, and the priest enters the prison just as the young researcher experiences her projects immediate shut down, due to a conflict.
I can't help being impressed by the Danish films made these days. For the last 20 years Danish film industry has constantly grown, just as we've seen the Nordic countries Sweden, Island, Noway and Finland follow up. Now especially the Danes and the Norwegians are turning up A-class films over and over. "In the hour of the Lynx" is another one of these great films.
The film manages to get immediate response from me as a viewer dud to great character development. All main characters seem interesting, and are of course well played. The film uses an advanced time structure off the story telling, and uses retrospective technique in both memories and in several of the persons minds. Quite advanced but also effective, like in a solving of a crime story, though it might give some difficulties in following the storyline. Photography is brilliant, as is the use if light to express the modes.
Another Nordic noir both story's use as well as in depicted colors. The story had two female characters in main roles, and the story is told during a time span of less than 20 hours. Susanne Gråbøl is captivating in her main role as a priest, and the rest if the cast is equally brilliant. Frederik Christian Johansen as the boy, is a great talent, and does his best role so far here. He is his role here. Søren Kragh-Jacobsen has done another great job. The story telling almost becomes amazing, when we go back in time to the boys childhood living with his religious grandfather.
The story rises a lot of questions about upbringing and religion, and if you have respect for that, you won't get disappointed. The too low rating here I'm IMDb tells that not everyone was happy with the wrapping if he story. I found it beautiful.
