A ‘revelatory’ work in more ways than one, Dogme 95’s first official entry sees Vinterberg masterfully throwing us into the deep end of dark secrets and hard truths, as a reunion of family and friends celebrating the 60th birthday of a patriarch turns into a moral catastrophe.
It’s not exactly a special film and gets bogged down by a narrative that is far more predictable than you think, but there’s a certain charm to how this alcohol-meets-schoolteachers drama plays out, backed by an indelible turn from Mads Mikkelsen.
For better or worse, it feels like you are watching a book unfold in this beautiful if unbalanced adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s well-studied novel.
Drags a bit too long for its own good, but Vinterberg’s latest remains to be a fairly compelling drama with fine performances.
Eternality Tan 