Kapgang

The setting is a village in Jutland, Denmark - 1976.

Young Martin - portrayed by Villads Boye - is on the school's speed-walking team, apparently a sport that is much more popular in Denmark than it is in the U. S. A. Martin is getting ready to make his Christian confirmation in The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark when he gets devastating news - "Your mother has died!" - (from aggressive, rapidly advancing blood cancer). Martin's entire family is profoundly grief-stricken, especially Martin's father, who becomes non-functional & inconsolable. You see, Martin's mother was always "the glue that held the family together." In the wink of an eye, she's gone forever.

At the funeral, the pastor says, "Now it's up to us to lend meaning to the meaninglessness." Wow! That came out of a pastor's mouth? A female relative of Martin's says, "I don't know what the Hell God's up to; He deserves a good beating!"

So now our Martin - who is the youngest in the family - proves to be the most resourceful, the most mature, & the most helpful - what a teenager!

Simultaneously with mourning his mother, Martin studies up for his Confirmation & also experiences his sexual awakening! Can you say "multi-tasking" & "resourceful"?

Director Niels Arden Oplev & writers Bo Hansen & Morten Kirkskov have crafted a true jewel of a movie here! There is a gentle authenticity to "Speed Walking", which makes the film special & endearing.

Although the Danish are decidedly non-dogmatic about what you precisely believe, milestones & rites of passage bestowed in religious ceremonies are deemed important by young people & their parents. With Confirmation in particular, a boy becomes a man & a girl becomes a woman. The minister in charge of Martin's Confirmation class is at once plainly sober & convivial, & he is well aware that his confirmands are dealing with raging hormones.

Martin is slowly, simultaneously falling in Love with a pretty blonde girl named Kristine & a very cute blonde lad named Kim (Kim is a very common boy's name in Denmark). Martin lives close to Kristine & to Kim, so he sees them a lot.

Now how many American movies can you think of where the most desirable girl in the village is wearing braces, like Kristine? This illustrates that Danish films tend to be realistic & authentic rather than "Disneyfied" & dreamy.

Despite their raging hormones, these young people possess instilled values - they are not just trying to "get it on". For example, even though pretty Kristine wants to make love, when Martin repeatedly urges her to kiss & hug him, she replies, "Wait till after I make my Confirmation - then I will kiss & hug you!" Looking at the twinkle in Kristine's eyes, there's a strong suggestion that they will be doing a good deal more than kissing & hugging. To this reviewer's judgment, there is a rare phenomenon here: The obvious linkage between religious rites of passage & sexual rites of passage.

The young Danes are also very selective - who they "do it" with is crucially important. For the viewer, it becomes plainly obvious that Kristine will only make love to either Martin or Kim - no other boy will do.

Regarding Martin's growing Love for the boy Kim, Martin urges him, "Let's do it - together!" Kim informs him that his parents are home - now is not the right time. When Martin again raises the possibility at another time, Kim says, "You know, this is important to me." That is to say, when it comes to other males, Kim will only "do it" with Martin - no other boy will do.

And then, finally, comes the day when Kim & Martin have Kim's house to themselves. For both of them, it's their first time. Filmmaker Niels Arden Oplev handles the gay love scene so well, it's poetic, magical, & radiant. This reviewer has never seen anything like it before.

I don't put spoilers in my reviews, so I will not reveal Martin's final triumph.

Despite the tragic Death of Martin's mother, "Speed Walking" is a perfect, radiant, life-affirming film! You want to shout "Hurray" at the end!

10 out of 10 stars!

What a great performance from Villads Bøye. And such an amazing script. It blew me away! And that scene from the funeral made my skin crawl. Such a mature character at such a young age, you definitely have something to learn from this story.

True, the events go back into the 1970ies, but the film is new, seems realistic, and both the characters and performances are really something. Apart from Villads Bøye as Martin, who is really wow!, the film features - even in tiny roles - many excellent Danish actors and actresses known internationally, e.g. Sidse Babett Knudsen, Pilou Asbæk, David Dencik... The main background of the events is sad, but the Danes living in a small town somehow cope with it in their own, sometimes crazy manner, with fresh sexual liberation whiff in and around their lives. In spite of cruel world and sometimes odd ideas, there is still warmness around, and life goes on with its different angles - all this giftedly directed and performed.

A good stuff, really. I can hardly imagine such a film made and screened e.g. in the USA...

Not a fan of WHATEVER THIS WAS. Kind of explicit and just overal not what i wanted to see, lol. The plot line was KIND OF interesting, but also kind of odd. Not saying it is a bad movie, I just didn't like it. I translated this thing to my English friends who don't speak Danish, we just laughed the whole time.

This was a really good movie. The performances were all around excellent but the young actor who plays Martin was absolutely amazing. The scene at his mother's burial would be Oscar worthy if this were an American film. But it is more than that very emotional and heartbreaking scene that makes this performance so fantastic. This actor creates a strong character of a young boy who deals with his mother's death better than his father and brother. He is the strong one in the family, the one who takes control of the situation and makes things happen, despite being the youngest. There are some frank sexual situations but that is not the main thrust of the film. It really is about the strength of this youngster in a difficult situation. With the wrong actor as Martin this film would not have worked. But they found a brilliant young actor who gives one of the best portrayals of a young adolescent ever filmed. Highly recommended.