Reconstruction

"Reconstruction" is a clever, European take on "Unfaithful" where an older husband uses literary intellect instead of violence to attempt "The Revenge of the Cuckold."

But we have no idea how much is real or imagined or roman a clef or the character of the author is identifying too much with his alter ego, as we are told from the outset that what we will be seeing is the magic of the storyteller or puppeteer, watching as he manipulates his characters, trying out different situations in different drafts of a novel, erasing and playing out different scenarios of chance and choice, where art replaces the memory science of "Code 46."

I don't think I was the only audience member, however, who was rooting instead for the tall, dark, handsome young man as Nikolaj Lie Kaas has captivating chemistry with Maria Bonnevie (and I feel really foolish that I couldn't tell from either the film or the Danish credits until I looked at the IMDb listing that she plays both the jilted girlfriend and the adulterous wife).

The author makes some lame justifications about women needing love and men accidentally falling into it, or some such, that doesn't quite make sense and the film is supposed to be illustrating the point that a man has to learn about hurt as a price to be able to love. The author's self-understanding I suppose is illustrated by him reading his book's dedication to his wife in a desperate plea for her to forgive him all his inattention, etc. as he needs her for his art, so she shouldn't look for passion elsewhere.

But we're left more with the very powerful visuals of the different versions of how he imagined her possible affair could have started (a la "Brief Encounter") and its ramifications or concluded, and the feeling that the older guy was a smug deus ex machina.

In the things one can learn from the movies department: we also get a nice tour of Copenhagen-- people can smoke anywhere, even on the subway, and do, constantly; restaurant bathrooms have real terry cloth towels; the Hilton is really luxurious; Danes and Swedes don't seem to exchange cell hone numbers; and, like in "Italian for Beginners," Danes seem to think of Italy as the place to go for romance.

Is this a true, fictional narrative, or is it the figment of the fictional writer's imagination? If that sounds contradictory, then it gives you some inkling about the substance – or lack thereof – of this most confusing and yet most intriguing film.

Is this a film about filming a narrative? Is it a film about two narratives – one real fiction, one imaginary fiction? Or, is it simply a film designed to act as a metaphor for the total uncertainty about human relationships? Perhaps, it's all three... or simply an illusion?

As it unfolds, we meet a very confused young man, Alex (Nikolaj Lei Kaas) who seems to be in love with the same woman who exists in two different realities and, yet, who co-exist in the same city. On the one hand, Alex is associated with Simone (Maria Bonnevie) definitely and yet, he meets another woman, Aimee (again, Maria Bonnevie), who looks exactly like Simone, in another part of town.

Whereas Simone is definitely single, Aimee is apparently married to August, a writer who is in town to give some lectures on the art of writing. At the same time, August is also trying to finish his novel that is a love story, but he's having trouble trying to decide what "the young man" of his story should do – and he tells Aimee about his dilemma while they sit in their hotel room.

So, while August is discussing the progress of his narrative with his publisher, Monica (Ida Dwinger), young Alex is roaming all over the city trying to understand how it is that both women appear to know him for some of the time, and at other times, he appears to be a stranger to them. Frantically, he rushes from café, to a bar, to a restaurant, to another bar, desperately trying to come to grips with his concept of his reality – which, oddly enough, doesn't appear to jive with the reality of anybody that Alex thinks he knows...

Totally confused now? Well, you should be, because I think Reconstruction is an experimental film that tries to show just how confusing every person's sense of their own reality must be – not only for each person, but to others around them also.

You think you really, really know your girlfriend, your wife, your boyfriend, your husband, your lover? This film, I think, forces you to reflect (no pun intended) upon that existential problem, a very real problem for every living person, whether or not we know it. The camera work is also experimental, and some of it is quite original in its construction. You'll know what I mean when you see it – that is, if you're prepared to watch it.

Definitely not a film for action fans or the 'braindead'.

I saw this movie at the London Film Festival, introduced by Boe the director and the beautiful Bonnevie, the lead actress. Boe is a graduate of the Danish film school and, as you might expect, the film is packed with movie references from Bergman to Hitchcock via Lynch. I hope the movie picks up a UK distributor as a second viewing is needed to understand the movie fully. On one viewing alone, this is an intelligent, intriguing and thought provoking movie with an excellent sense of time and place (Copenhagen, the present, even though no-one seems to have a mobile phone!), clever cinematography and editing and good performances. Boe creates a vision of Copenhagen as a labyrinthine, alien jungle where your front door may disappear and your friends have never seen you before.

Highly recommended

In Copenhagen, the photographer Alex (Nicolaj Lie Kaas) is the boyfriend of Simone (Maria Bonnevie) and the Swedish painter Aimee (Maria Bonnevie) is the wife of the writer August Holm (Krister Henriksson). When Alex meets Aimee in a bar, they have one night stand and falls in love for each other. However, on the next days, Alex is forgotten by his girlfriend and friends, and sees his world vanishing and his romance with Aimee re-initiating.

"Reconstruction" is an intriguing and surrealistic romance that follows the school of David lynch. All the characters are needy of love, and one possible interpretation (actually my interpretation) for the plot is that August is writing his novel inspired in the needy of his wife an muse Aimee that feels lonely with his constant absence due to his lectures and meetings with his editor Monica. He develops and affair of the character Aimme with the also fictional Alex, a man that has difficulties to commit with and believe in love, being hard for him to say "I love you" to Simone. When Alex meets Aimee, he leaves his past relationship behind but it is hard for him to believe in the love of Aimee and he loses her, and the magic of their love is never accomplished. If the viewer is seeking an original screenplay raising many questions without much explanation and open to interpretation, supported by great performances and wonderful cinematography and music score, he or she will certainly love this little gem. Last but not the least, Maria Bonnevie is a very pretty and seductive woman. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Reconstrução de um Amor" ("Reconstruction of a Love")

It took me quite a long time to figure out what I thought about this movie, and it seems that I have come to the conclusion that this movie is more about the experience of watching it. The plot is very abstract and I find it very hard to believe that anyone completely "got" the film. However while watching the film this doesn't seem to matter, you're enthralled. In the end i was left with a lot of questions and it led to some interesting discussions, but what really struck me and stayed with me was the beautiful imagery, the sights sounds and mood of the movie. In this sense the film is almost haunting. Anyway I would have to recommend and perhaps a second viewing would clear things up for me. As a sidenote the acting all around was superb and the two lead actors were enchanting.