Godland: a snapshot of Denmark’s treatment of Iceland as a colony in the 19th century
Hlynur Palmason, “Volaða land / Vanskabte Land / Godland” (2022) Its plot looks simple enough, and it follows in the path of similar films such as…
Danish Films
French and French-language Films, Northern European Films
The Passion of Joan of Arc: an experimental film let down by its narrow focus, story-line and characterisation
Carl Theodor Dreyer, “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (1928) In itself, this silent film is remarkable for its lead actor Maria Falconetti’s acting from the…
Festen: a rich film skewering Danish society and social hypocrisy, and delivering redemption
Thomas Vinterberg, “Festen” (1998) “Festen” remains the best-known and most mainstream of the various films made under Dogme 95 movement rules. Even if audiences no longer…
Breaking the Waves: a study of religious hypocrisy and oppression, and its effects on a naive woman, with a hollow heart
Lars von Trier, “Breaking the Waves” (1996) For the most part this often nihilistic film is excruciating in its slow and exacting pace, and its drama…
Northern European Films, Southeast Asian Films
The Look of Silence: a grim and monotonous film about a personal quest but no context to make sense of it
Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence” (2014) A companion piece to Oppenheimer’s earlier documentary “The Act of Killing”, this film considers the effects of Indonesia’s purges…
North American Films, Northern European Films
Manderlay: a not entirely satisfactory study of slavery in American society
Lars von Trier, “Manderlay” (2005) The sequel to “Dogville” is an interesting philosophical if rather slower and less action-packed inquiry on the nature of freedom and democracy…
The Backwater Gospel: a darkly grim Gothic satire on religious fanaticism, mob rule and the fear of death
Bo Mathorne, “The Backwater Gospel” (2011) In a total running time of just over nine minutes, this raw and stark animation is a superb comment on…
Northern European Films, Southeast Asian Films
The Act of Killing: chilling documentary on mass murderers and the society that supports and celebrates their deeds
Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Act of Killing” (2012) A chilling film, made all the more so by moments of black humour, kitsch and banality, “The Act of…
Medea (dir. Lars von Trier): human struggle against forces of Nature and God in a beautiful and emotional film
Lars von Trier, “Medea” (1988) Originally made for TV and with a script based on that other famous Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s adaptation of Euripides’s play “Medea”, this…
Corruption, authoritarianism, oppression of women and intolerance are a hidden presence in “Häxan: Witchcraft through the Ages”
Benjamin Christensen, “Häxan: Witchcraft through the Ages” (1922) Intended as a study on how superstition and lack of knowledge about mental illness could have led to…