Herança

Christopher leads a peaceful life in Denmark along with his wife. He owns a restaurant and she's an actress. But their lives soon will change after the suicide of Christopher's father. He'll be forced to take charge of his father's business.

"Arven" is an intense and exceptional drama about giving' up on what we want, about that unmerciful and cold world of the big corporations. The moral is quite clear: what do you want money and power for if you lose everything you really love? Per Fly's style is serious and sober, he can't deny he's from northern Europe, 'cause in his cinema there's the same coldness than in Von Trier's or Bergman's.

*My rate: 8/10

I absolutely disagree that Arven should be boring. From the very beginning we feel the dilemma of Ulrick Thomsen and is thorn apart the deeper we go in the story, as we feel his pain and his obligations. Per Fly is an exellent director who forces his actors to do their vey best and it shines through the whole movie. The acting is deep and sensitive. It's exellent. Director Per Fly also understood to make us feel all swallowed up in the story. It's an exellent movie. Intellegent, sensitive and it really makes you think about how to live your life.

Arven is a superb 'European' film. It is compelling viewing. It deals with a plethora of human issues and choices without

being sentimental or resorting to clichés. It is visually stunning. It is moving. The actors are convincing. We care about the characters. In fact, we really care! And I can only recommend it highly.

" Inheritance " is one of the greatest European movies of the last few years. It might seem boring for an average American viewer who is used to Hollywood action movie culture. The film is a great reflection of a real life situation. It is wonderfully acted and very believable. Directing is superb. I would recommend it to anybody who has an appreciation for a fine art of European cinema ( particularly for its ability to depict life the way it is ). This is one of the movies that I would definitely give a 10.

I saw this film at the 2003 London Film Festival and was impressed by the way it treated its audience, as adults. So many films are blatantly manipulative, pushing all the right buttons to extract all the appropriate responses. And it seems we are generally quite happy to collude in the process. Not so with this film. We are allowed to find our own way in, so that everyone's response to it will be singular and specific.The performances are unshowy and honest - not so easy when one of the protaganists is a celebrated actress. The clash between desire and duty, a well-worn theme, is given depth and clarity through a truthful, unsentimental and no-frills piece of film making. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.