By Linda Winsh-Bolard
Danish film about middle age human connection.
Denis is a body builder past his zenith. He was certainly successful at some time but failed to transform the pinnacle of his body building into a lasting Arnold Schwarzenegger like career.
A very important element of Schwarzenegger's career is Maria Shiver of the Kennedy clan. I sincerely doubt that without the power and connections of the Kennedys' Arnie would have gotten this far.
Denis (Kim Kold) has no Maria but he has a mommy. A frail looking, small woman, Ingrid has a steel trap control over her son.
Ingrid is retired, elegant, selfish, self-obsessed woman whose small world is largely filled by sucking the life out of her son. What she punishes him for, and why, is in part revealed at the end of the film, but it is really not that important. Mommy doesn't like competition. Any competition. As for any female competitors, these are straight out. She, and she alone, will rule over what she regards as her absolute possession- her son.
Why had Denis suffered this control until now, we will never find out.
The change happens when his uncle marries a Thai woman. The cousin is thin balding man, certainly not attractive, even if he better off materially than Denis.
His bride is young, with lavish body, and warm behavior.
Denis watches them and decides to take a chance at foreign bride. At home, his luck has run out some time ago. Maybe it will be easier elsewhere.
His travel abroad suffers the expected bumps and rumps but by a chance, and routine devotion to his craft, bodybuilding, Denis might make little money on it but he takes his exercise seriously, Denis meets a woman who likes and understand him as much as it is possible while they communicate in a language foreign to both.
Albeit Denis lied to Mommy Dear about his travel and his newly found girl. The lie, as expected, bites back. So does, also as expected, mommy.
Mads Matthiesen's film is full of clich???s, in the story line and the picture. One can almost trail Matthiesen's favorite films through this one. It does get annoying at times.
Still, with the help of his cast, Elsebeth Steetoft in the part of Ingrid, Denis' mother is perfection. She embodies Mommy Dear on screen with depth, craft, expression and perfect timing that leaves vast throngs of so called stars far behind her, Kim Kold, who indeed used to be professional bodybuilder, had retain the physique but is able to express more than Arnie did through his film career with fever trappings, and Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaaard in the role of Toi, the bewildered and warmhearted Thai woman. Matthiesen gets across the complications, hiccups and fears of grown up, lonely humans. At once set in their way and wanting to reach out, mature enough to want to have a relationship rather than cheap series of one night sands, yet both shy and afraid and lost.
Whether they succeed on the screen, or can even succeed, should the film continue past the screen time, I am leaving for you to decide.
The film leaves troubles of different cultures, languages and customs in a relationship out of the story. Long time loneliness of ???migr???s also did not make it in. It is clearly a film of young, hopeful director.
Still, at least it is a film for grownups acted by grownups. Few of these around.
