Nordkraft

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

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.

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.

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.

For some reason I felt draw to this movie from the first time I saw the trailer, so of course I had to see it during it's opening weekend and I can say without a doubt this is the best movie this year so far. It's a disturbing look inside the under(drug)world of the 5th largest city in Denmark. Set in the mid 90's the movie follows 3 persons,

Maria (a runaway from home girl). Allan (a guy who left it all when his best friend got jailed, but returns after an accident) Thomas aka. Steso (a very bright and intelligent guy, who does the drug because he likes the mental freedom it provides and acknowledges that he's addicted, but still loves it)

The movie follows the 3 main characters as they struggle with their lives, Allan with trying to get out, Steso with getting more into it and Maria just being where she can't really control her life.

The movie uses no known actors (except for Kirsten Nordholt as Allan's mom and Lars Mikkelsen as Steso's dad), maybe this is a deliberate decision so that the actors and therefore characters doesn't out do each other. And yet the movie is played with a top class performances, by ALL actors (not like Pusher 2 which, except for Mads Mikkelsen, is played so poorly that one has a hard time feeling for the characters). The 3 main characters does a very breathtaking performance, but everyone else does also great job, all the way from Pernille Vallentin Brandt as Tilde to Rudi Köhnke (who by the way looks a lot like Joaquin Phoenix) as Frank. Everybody delivers an absolutely outstanding performance.

This movie is based on a book by the same name, I haven't read the book so I cannot comment on the level of integrity toward the book. But I can say that I love this movie.

It's a 9/10, if you liked Christiane F. or Pusher, then you'll love this one. It's a Hard, ugly and disturbing look into the underworld.