Lad de små børn...

Foreign films with subtitles have a reputation for being highbrow (especially around difficult subjects) but this Danish one is simply odd. After losing their daughter in a road accident, a couple don't just suffer from a marital breakdown... they behave in the most bizarre ways possible.

The lady returns to her job as a social worker after 'recovering'... And immediately becomes obsessed with helping out the young druggie mother of an abused baby. She goes WAY beyond the call of duty though, by babysitting at all hours of the day... and even taking the infant back to her house. It's difficult to see what her intention is here... she isn't trying to kidnap it to replace her own child (which would have been more interesting). And if she really want to assist the bairn, she would've got the youngster sectioned while the stoned mother saw a professional. Instead, she resigns from the case during an argument with her boss, and the whole thing finishes there. Status quo maintained.

As for the father of the dead girl... what a nut job. He's got a self destructive streak a mile long after what's happened. He is openly racist to some Japanese businessmen during his working day, which results in him more or less getting the sack. Then, he lies to his wife about still having his job, before spending his days drinking and stalking a female estate agent, who we assume he wants an affair with... but the reality is somewhat different. You see, she plays a major role in all this, and you wouldn't want me to spoil the plot now. So let's just say finding out exactly what it is the highlight of the movie... unlike the rather uncomfortable scene that follows it.

Everyone is on form with their performances... there are some powerful moments involving the central pair, AND their married best friends (Who have their own crisis, NO-ONE in this film is happy). It just feels so disjointed, with the random behaviour blunting the overall impact of the piece. With more story cohesion, we could have something special here. As it is, it's more laudable for the sum of it's parts than as a finished article. 6/10

Ubiquitous actress Paprika Steen makes an assured directing debut with this hard-hitting drama of a couple (Birkkjær and Gråbøl) attempting to cope (in very different ways) with the tragic loss of their teenage daughter, who has been killed by a drunk-driver (Mynster). There's no easy way out in this extremely well-acted film, which unfortunately also lacks a satisfying conclusion, and a few loose ends. Written by Kim Fupz Aakeson with music by Nikolaj Steen, the director's brother.

7/10

Claes and Britt have lost their 12-year old daughter, run over by a car. Each fights their demons in their own way, and their marital relationship is shaken. Britt returns to work but her judgment and conduct are not as they should be; Claes works through but his anger leads to his suspension.

Claes boss Nisse, and boss's wife Vivi, are sympathetic but they are at a crossroads in their own relationship. All four are walking on eggshells.

The story is told without exposition. We are drip-fed just enough information to keep us engaged, and gave to work out some background for ourselves, being soared none of the anguish.

We English are stereotyped as having a stiff upper lip, but Claes and Britt take this to another level. Where Britt buries her grief, Claes bristles with suppressed rage to the point where we question his ability to function.

The story pulls no punches. There is no pretence of 'good' and 'bad', only 'hurt'. All major characters suffer crises of one form or another, but we empathise and want resolution for them.

Two minor characters, Malene and Ulrik, deserve particular credit. I didn't know the actors but they perform beyond the scope of their roles.

A powerful story of people on the edge.

I'm a fan of Paprika Steen since the very first time that I saw her play a role in a movie. Since then I've seen several others of 'her' movies and I must say that she's always unbelievably good. Her performances often mean the difference between a good movie and an excellent one and that is something that made me look forward to her debut as a director. I hoped that she would be at least as good as a director, that she would be able to do her magic trick once again, but this time from behind the camera...

In this movie we see how a couple is trying to deal with the loss of their teenage daughter who died in a tragic car accident. Their whole life seems to have stopped and everything they do or everything that is said to them reminds them of her, leading to an emotional outburst. And both parents have their own way of dealing with the pain. While the mother tries to pick up her old life again by returning to her job as a social worker who has to take care of abused children, her husband seems to lose all grip on reality. He's only focused on one thing and that is to find the person who killed his daughter. It doesn't matter to him that he loses his job as an architect or that his relationship with his wife deteriorates fast. All he wants is revenge...

As I already said earlier in this review, I was really looking forward to this movie and I sure had some very high expectations about it. And almost all have been fulfilled. Once again this is a very interesting Scandinavian drama and Steen proves that not every good movie that comes from the North needs to be a Dogme film. She has managed to make a good drama with apparently different, smaller story lines that all connect to each other in one way or another. If the director isn't careful, this means that the entire movie will feel quite messy, but Steen sure knows how to avoid that trap. This is a solid movie and by far one of the best debuts that I've ever seen from a director.

Once again the acting is very good. Not that I expected otherwise. I'm used to watch Scandinavian movies and I'm always a bit surprised to see how many good actors they actually have over there. Sofie Gråbøl I had seen before in "Mifune's Last Song" and Lena Endre I still remember from "Trolösa". The others were more or less a surprise, but I liked them just as much.

In the end I'm convinced that this is the type of movie that might appeal to a larger audience, but even those who are already quite familiar with the Scandinavian movies and more in particular the Dogme-films, may well enjoy it. I know I certainly did and that's why I give it a rating in between 7.5/10 and 8/10.

There are so many ways to fail when you tell a story about people who are in a state, people who mourn, people who can't communicate. But writer Kim Fupz Aakeson and first time director Paprika Steen pulls this off like there's nothing to it at all. "Lad de sma born" is a masterpiece, shining with profound psychological insights and exquisite performances. Grabol, Birkkjaer, Pilmark, Endre, Mynster, Brygmann, Christensen are all superb. This is a movie much similar to the great "Elsker dig for evigt"; it stands out with the same sharpness, same credibility, same maturity. I love von Trier, but Denmark has more to offer. Much more. We are grateful.