Frygtelig lykkelig

Terribly Happy (Frygtelig lykkelig) This Danish Noir Crime film was one of the nominees for best Oscar foreign film 2009 83rd Oscars. It did not win. It is based on the novel by Erling Jepsen. This dark & quirky crime story is set set in a small rural Danish village called Skarrild a town that hides as many secrets as the nearby bog. This Locale is in the only part of Denmark that actually has land adjoining Europe. (the rest are islands) Skarrild South Jutland area is a boggy low lying area north of Germany where the water level is very low. Robert (Jakob Cedergren) has a troubled past in Copenhagen & is re-assigned to a remote Danish town, where he is quickly embroiled in its odd business. Essentially the story of a policeman working punishment duty in the provinces. This dark comedy is reminiscence of Fargo & subject matter is racy with child abuse murder abuse of power wife beating drinking drugs etc. The film is effective, & has a unique feel, though at times it is hodgepodge of genres & stylistic borrowings. The plot (& characters) felt flat & lifeless. The film just did not have the artistic hook that really grabbed me. (Compared to films by fellow Finland director Aki Kaurismaki) The film dour & deadpan film noir but it just did not involve excite or intrigue me. All told heart the film plays like a classic Western: the frontier town, the local bad man, the new marshal, the townspeople, the cute & vulnerable heroine, Ingelise. I hate westerns. Or is this a horror movie?? No is not a horror movie but a comic, ironic witty, well constructed psychological thriller. It still did not make on impression on me. As the story narrows into an increasingly desperate cat-&-mouse game played by Robert & Jorgen following a lethal accident, "Terribly Happy" becomes an allegory of human frailty & corruption, of loneliness & the need to belong. If that makes the movie sound depressingly weighty IT IS. How far will you go to have a sense of belonging? 3 stars

Nicely done. I am glad I picked this one out. Kind of movie you'd like to watch on a lazy moody afternoon. It will perk up your interest and will get you ready for the evening! Trust me you won't get bogged down! The film is set in a bleak Fargoesque landscape and begins to build up slowly. I found a couple of situations in the plot that could be a bit far-fetched and probably could have been done better but this doesn't affect the overall quality of the film. Even with a low budget the director has come up with a remarkable suspenseful and to an extent, a film with a moral. So go on, get some pop-corn on and get settled in your favorite spot. Go out for a beer later - preferably the local beer joint!

The ironically titled Danish film 'Terribly Happy' is the tale of a cop sent to serve as local Marshall in a remote border town in South Jutland called Skarrild that doesn't need cops or have much use for them. It's a place where nothing much happens. Ha! Well -- that's what they say. This part of the country, you don't know if you're coming or going. People use the same monosyllable, "Mojn" (pronounced "moyn") to say both "hello" and "goodbye." Men of few words, they are, these boozy locals, who like to settle scores their way, not "by the book." Klepto kids are just boxed brutally on the ears and sent packing. There's a bog that swallows up junk, sometimes a cow, maybe some darker secrets. This place is insular, mysterious, and weird. And a bog, like a pistol, once introduced, must be used.

'Frygtelig lykkelig' (it sounds funnier in Danish) has its own rhythm and momentum, and a snappy style including a sound design that's sometimes explosive, sometimes ironic. The film's consistently effective, and has a unique feel, though at times its hodgepodge of genres and stylistic borrowings evokes Coen brothers (especially 'Blood Simple') and David Lynch work as it would be if the American auteurs had filmed in Danish in consultation with Aki Kaurismaki. A mix of psychological thriller, horror story, and neo-noir, it moves fast but also manages to take the time necessary to also be a mood piece in which the town vies with the cop for the role of protagonist.

Here are the outlines, but the details have to be omitted because it's all in the surprises and twists. Robert Hansen (Jakob Cedergren) is the policeman from Copenhagen sent out here because he's had a mental breakdown some time ago. He has, shall we say, anger issues. "You're working your way up?" somebody says. Again: ha! He's in serious limbo. He looks convincing in his police uniform and has a modicum of leading man looks. But then again there's something a bit fuzzy about him too -- something a bit lost. He misses an estranged or divorced wife back home, and repeatedly tries to call her and a little daughter, but without results. He has messed up in some way, and this is a punishment assignment.

Like many noir heroes, Robert comes on the scene already in trouble and immediately gets into more. A pretty but dicey blond called Ingerlise Buhl (Lene Maria Christensen), appears, saying her husband Jørgen (Kim Bodnia) has beaten her. She barges in on Robert the way many a dubious babe has appeared on a hapless noir detective's doorstep. It's not so much a domestic squabble complaint as an attempted seduction -- and instant jeopardy for Robert. He can't ignore Ingerlise but there's no safe way to deal with her. The local rule against outside "by the book" punishments is compounded by the fact that Jørgen turns out to be a scary dude, the town bully; also a man said to have fathered a number of children around town.

The only kids we see are shoplifters corralled by the local grocer, whom Robert learns to smack as instructed rather than book (the kids, that is, not the grocer). And then there's the well-dressed Dorothe (Mathilde Maack), Ingerlise and Jørgen's little girl, who's often seen creepily pushing a big baby carriage around the town's empty, haunted streets with her teddy bear inside. It seems when bad stuff begins at home, she escapes by pushing the carriage. Funnily enough rumor has it she's not Jørgen's. You just don't know, around here.

Genz toys with the unexpected in ways that transcend the film's various genres. These include the Western too, since Jørgen wears a ten-gallon hat and, as odd and menacing at times as Dennis Hopper's bad guy in 'Blue Velvet,' he winds up in a "shoot out" against Robert. Only, in truly Danish style, the shots exchanged are of whiskey, alternating with chugged bottles of beer. (Another bar regular's face is a dead ringer for Hopper's.)

Robert's an outsider but it's never fully clear whether Skarrild wants to exclude him or lock him in forever as one of theirs. His tarnished rep appeals to them because the town's own morals are generally shaky. There's a running card game of the self-declared "quack" Dr. Zerlang (Lars Brygmann) and other local fixtures want Robert for a fourth at the card table. "Everyone knows everything but says nothing" about you in this town, is the rule, and so they know Robert's secrets when he arrives and soon know more in the nightmare Ingerlise and Jørgen force upon him, which he may eventually resolve, or make worse; he must let the town decide. The town has the last laugh, but so do we.

Adapted from a novel by Erling Jepsen,'Terribly Happy' has been richly rewarded in Denmark for its skillful direction, cinematography, writing, and acting. Henrik Ruben Genz obviously had fun making this. It probably didn't hurt much that both he and Erling Jepsen are from the South Jutland region.

This was one of my top 5 films at the 33rd Cleveland International Film Festival.

In the introductory narrative we are told that "all the events are true". A short story is told of how a cow was stuck in the bog, dug out 6 months later and gave birth to a two-headed calf (one human, one bovine). This sad animal causes distress to the town and is put back into the bog.

Well. We may not know where this is going, but it's sure to be interesting.

Robert (Jakob Cedergren) has a troubled past in Copenhagen and is re-assigned to a remote Danish town, where he is quickly embroiled in its odd business. Does Jorgen (Kim Bodnia), the local force to be reckoned with, actually beat his wife Ingerlise (Lene Maria Christensen)? Is that why their daughter takes her dolly for a walk in the evening, with the squeaky wheel heard by all in the village? Why is the bicycle shop deserted, but the music blaring?

And what is in the bog?

The theme of the small town that runs by its own rules is well presented here. No one wants to get the "big city" involved. Abuse is known but ignored. The Marshall fits in in that everyone seems to have a secret in this town. A twisted ethic exists in just what needs to be done, whether the Marshall is supposed to punch out a pre-teen shoplifter (if he doesn't, Dad Jorgen will), you are supposed to say "mohn" instead of the usual Danish word for hello, the doctor supplies narcotics to the hairdresser/call-girl, and your clothes need to be put on the line to dry in a just-so order. And what do you do about the abused wife, who may just be playing her version of crazy with the newest Marshall?

The various plot twists, the machinations of the local card-playing cabal looking for a new fourth, the (lovely) cat who says "mohn": all provide fit companions to the Bog. The Bog is metaphor here as a place where secrets reside, the past sometimes remains hidden and the future lies in wait. The bog is as much a character as the townspeople and the townspeople are the bog.

The film alternates between disquieting views of the flat fields and frenetic twists (big and small) in the plot. I could not imagine a single scene being left out. Lovely and tense, this Euro-Noir film is well acted and well filmed; a good bet for those who like quirky and creepy.

Terribly Happy is a stylish Danish noir based on actual events. It's a classic "fish out of water" story. Robert (Jakob Cedergren ),a police officer is sent from Copenhagen to a small Danish village as its new Marshall. He soon finds that the village people have their own set of rules and laws and are not ready to accept outside interference with their coda of justice. Although at first Robert tries to play everything by the book, he is soon drawn deeply into the villagers' web of deceit and corruption.

The director Henrik Ruben Genz creates a very bleak atmosphere set against the Danish countryside. The film is full of black humor, reminiscent of Coen Brothers, specially Fargo. The casting is particularly good, with Kim Bodnia outstanding as a wife beating lout. Terribly Happy is tightly directed and is gripping from start to finish. Recommended.