Inheritance

A Danish modern that seems spare and bare bones when compared to other slick art house fare that is out there like "Vanity Fair" and "Bright Young Things." But it is just that lack of gloss that gives it its strength. The semi-Dogma style fits the story of a young man living in Sweden with his beautiful actress wife who gets called back to Denmark to run the family steel mill after his father's suicide. When he had been younger, he had almost died from the stress of working in the business. Now, with his relations and the workers depending on him, he slowly starts to shut down all of his systems in order to deal with the tough decisions he has to make. This is not a new theme, but Fly gives it new life with his astringent approach.

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.

I once asked myself that if I were able to work a hard 60 hour week, every week for five years straight, and be paid over $200,000.00 per year, but be able to leave after those 5 years a millionaire and be free do do the things I really wanted to do, would I do it? The proposition sounds enticing, but I soon began to realize that after 5 years, I will have been a changed person, stressed, unhappy, and the things that I really wanted to do at the beginning would no longer have any hold on me at the end of those 5 years.

This movie made me think of that. When Christopher takes over his father's business, he was a happy man, with the best of intentions. But as the years pass, work, prestige, money blinded him from being a good husband, father, brother, friend,...etc.. and his story is told very well by the filmmaker, very simple and straightforward, and the dramatic scenes with his wife, are very realistic and not written and acted merely for dramatic effect.

I give Christopher the "dope of the year" award for treating his wife Maria the way he did. She was a beautiful, loyal, passionate, and very understanding wife. How could he not see that? and you tell yourself it's only a movie, but then in real life, you see guys like that all the time, throwing away gems while searching for rocks.

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.

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.