Tag: Denmark

Goodbye 2025

We’re back at the end of another year, but we’re also on the precipice of the beginning of a new one. As is always the case, I like to say farewell to the year that we have lived through on the final day of the year, and today is no different. Tonight, we say farewell to 2025. At the end of 2024, I expressed concern about the US Presidential Election result, the return of a Commander-in-Chief in America who is synonymous with the post-factual era, and all the scary elements attributed to it. I was also nervous about the armed conflicts that continued to dominate the world. But I desperately tried to hold onto a hope that it wouldn’t be as bad as it looked like it could be, that the US election result and the rhetoric that immediately followed it weren’t as destructive as they had seemed, and that we could still find a way. I tried to remind my readers just how important it was to speak truth to power, to hold your leaders accountable, and to fight for justice. So, how were those fears and that hope reflected in the year that we actually got in 2025?

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Den Sidste Viking (2025) | REVIEW

(L-R) Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in THE LAST VIKING (DEN SIDSTE VIKING) — PHOTO: Nordisk Film / Rolf Konow.

Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen — Screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen.

Only a select few films can fill up theater rooms across Denmark like Anders Thomas Jensen’s directorial efforts can. Ever since he burst onto the scene with Flickering Lights, he has been a favorite for Danish filmgoers, and it is always genuinely delightful to see Danes flock to theaters whenever he has gotten ‘the gang back together’ (the gang always consists of Denmark’s two most popular actors Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Mads Mikkelsen) to tell a ‘black comedy’ narrative with absurd quirks and goofy but strangely lovable oddball characters. Now, he’s back again with The Last Viking (Danish title: Den Sidste Viking), which is yet another instantly successful Danish black comedy with some of Denmark’s most popular actors. It doesn’t quite hit the highs that Riders of Justice (Retfærdighedens Ryttere) did, but it is nonetheless quite good and will be very satisfying to those with a love for the wavelengths of Jensen’s oeuvre. 

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The Girl with the Needle (2025) | REVIEW

Vic Carmen Sonne in THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE — PHOTO: Nordisk Film (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Magnus von Horn — Screenplay by Magnus von Horn and Line Langebek.

A Danish, Swedish, and Polish international co-production, Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle is the 15th Danish submission to the Best International Film Oscar category to earn a nomination. Based on a true story and set in Denmark some time after World War One, von Horn’s film follows Karoline (played by Vic Carmen Sonne), a woman struggling financially. When Karoline, who believes her husband to be dead, enters into a relationship with her well-off boss, Jørgen (played by Joachim Fjelstrup), she soon gets pregnant with his child. However, when Jørgen is forbidden from marrying her, Karoline starts to think that she would be better off without the child that she is expecting. It is at this moment that she comes into contact with Dagmar (played by Trine Dyrholm). Dagmar works at a candy shop, and she tells Karoline that she can help her get her child to a foster family for the right price. However, when Karoline gets to know this strange shop owner, it soon becomes clear that she isn’t being upfront about what she is actually doing to the children being left in her care.

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Families Like Ours (2024) | REVIEW

Paprika Steen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in Thomas Vinterberg’s FAMILIES LIKE OURS — PHOTO: Per Arnesen/TV2.

Series created by Thomas Vinterberg.

Dogme95 co-founder Thomas Vinterberg has had quite the career. He burst onto the scene with his sophomore effort, the Cannes-darling and Danish classic The Celebration, and, though he struggled in the early 2000s overseas, he rebuilt his career on home soil with Submarine and The Hunt, the latter of which was a particular international success critically and with awards bodies. In the mid-to-late 2010s, he took another stab at filmmaking overseas with Far From the Madding Crowd and Kursk (with the Danish drama The Commune sandwiched in between the two). Then, at the very beginning of the 2020s, his binge-drinking dramedy Another Round took him to new heights as he not only accepted an Oscar and a BAFTA for the picture but also became the first-ever Danish filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Now, he has turned to TV, as he has crafted a television series about the calamitous potential of climate change that works as an eye-opener and much more. For me, it’s been one of the most interesting shows of 2024.

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Babettes Gæstebud (1987) | CLASSIC REVIEW

Stéphane Audren in Babette’s Feast — PHOTO: Nordisk Film.

Directed by Gabriel Axel — Screenplay by Gabriel Axel.

Based on the story of the same name from Danish author Karen Blixen (sometimes referred to as Isak Dinesen, which is her pen name), Gabriel Axel’s Babettes Gæstebud (international title: Babette’s Fest) follows Martine (played by Birgitte Federspiel) and Filippa (played by Bodil Kjer), two elderly and deeply religious sisters who take care of the religious community in which they live in a small village on the western coast of Jutland in Denmark. The community hasn’t been the same since the sisters’ father — a respected preacher — passed, the sisters haven’t been able to live out their romantic hopes and dreams because of him, and whenever the townspeople get together, it becomes clear that they are dissatisfied with their predicament. Eventually, a French housekeeper, Babette (played by Stéphane Audren), stops by the sisters’ house and begs to be able to stay with them. The sisters can’t pay her, but they allow her to stay with them and work alongside them. When Babette, one day, finds out that she has won the lottery, she decides that she ought to give back and let the community experience a true and lavish French dinner.

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Goodbye 2023

Another year is coming to an end. Today, we all say goodbye and farewell to 2023. It has been a whirlwind of a year with notable highs, tragic lows, and shocking surprises. Even tonight — the last night of the year — the people of Denmark (including myself) were shocked to find out that Queen Margrethe II, who was the longest-serving monarch in Europe following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, is stepping down. In her annual New Year’s address, the Danish Queen announced that on 14 January 2024, she will abdicate after 52 years as the Queen of Denmark. At that point in time, Crown Prince Frederik will become King Frederik X. Although we all knew it would happen one day (and had thought it might’ve happened sooner at one time), tonight was the night. Shocking news. A historic announcement. Thank you for your service, Queen Margrethe II. “Mange tak,” as we say in Denmark. Sending her love and wishing her well.

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Nattevagten (1994) | RETRO REVIEW

Ulf Pilgaard and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in NATTEVAGTWN — PHOTO: Thura Film.

Directed by Ole Bornedal — Screenplay by Ole Bornedal.

In a couple of days, the long-awaited sequel to the Danish cult horror film Ole Bornedal’s Nattevagten will be released. The original film, which later resulted in the English-languaged remake (also directed by Ole Bornedal) Nightwatch starring Ewan McGregor, is one that I hadn’t seen in several years, so I was curious whether or not it would still hold up. Is the Danish cult genre film still as good as I remember it being? Well, yes and no.

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Bastarden (2023) | REVIEW

Mads Mikkelsen as Ludvig Kahlen, an impoverished soldier who desires nobility, in BASTARDEN // THE PROMISED LAND — PHOTO: Henrik Ohsten / Zentropa / Nordisk Film.

Directed by Nikolaj Arcel — Screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel and Anders Thomas Jensen (Retfærdighedens Ryttere).

Titles can be tricky. Titles are obviously an essential part of marketing as they clue audiences in on what they can expect to see. A poster can be manipulated. A trailer can be manipulated. But more often than not titles mean something to the creatives who worked on the film. Then, of course, there are International titles. In the case of this Danish historical epic, its original title is Bastarden, which literally means ‘The Bastard,’ but it is known internationally as The Promised Land. Frankly, both titles feel accurate. Then, of course, there is the title of the source material, which is a Danish historical novel from Ida Jessen titled The Captain and Ann Babara (originally Kaptajnen og Ann Barbara in Danish). Internationally, distributors went with The Promised Land, which I honestly think is a bit of a mistake as it is such a generic title that has been used over and over again. Now, The Bastard isn’t exactly completely original. Still, it feels less conventional and speaks to its two principal opponents, a person born out of wedlock and his despicable antagonist. Regardless of which title you find it under, this Danish epic is one that I highly recommend, as it features strong performances, gorgeous photography, and a fair bit of violence which keeps this period piece from ever feeling stuffy. 

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Vanskabte Land (2022) | REVIEW

Elliott Crosset Hove as ‘Lucas’ in GODLAND / VANSKABTE LAND — PHOTO: Maria von Hausswolff / Scanbox Entertainment.

International Title: Godland — Icelandic Title: Volaða land — Directed by Hlynur Pálmason — Screenplay by Hlynur Pálmason.

Hlynur Pálmason’s Vanskabte Land takes place in the late 19th Century when Iceland was under Danish rule. The film follows a young Danish priest named Lucas (played by Elliott Crosset Hove) who is instructed to travel to Iceland and oversee the establishment of a new parish church in a Danish settlement. In spite of the fact that he has been warned about the harsh weather, the landscape, and the overwhelming temperatures, Lucas decides against merely sailing directly to the Danish settlement, and he, instead, decides to take on an arduous journey across Iceland and witness the country’s wonders and dangers firsthand for the purpose of documenting it with his extremely heavy camera equipment. Lucas, however, has bit off way more than he can chew, as the new overwhelming environment makes him ill-tempered and unprepared to even try to learn the language. When he loses his translator, Lucas is overcome with despair and growing animosity towards his guide, Ragnar (played by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson), who has a complicated relationship with the Danish language.

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Den Store Stilhed (2023) | REVIEW

Kristine Kujath Thorp plays the Norwegian nun Alma in Katrine Brocks’ DEN STORE STILHED — PHOTO: Mia Mai Dengsø Graabæk, DFF.

International Title: The Great Silence — Directed by Katrine Brocks — Screenplay by Katrine Brocks and Marianne Lentz.

Katrine Brocks’ The Great Silence follows Alma (played by Kristine Kujath Thorp), a Norwegian nun in a Catholic convent in Denmark. Alma is preparing for her perpetual vows — her marriage to God, as some characters put it — when her Danish half-brother Erik (played by Elliott Crosset Hove), a recovering alcoholic, stops by to ask for his half of the inheritance that their father left her. However, Alma, formerly named Silje, has already donated the entire inheritance to the convent so that they can repair their leaky ceiling. Hoping that Alma can also repair her relationship with her brother, the Mother Superior bends the rules and invites Erik to stay for a few days. Having him back in her life brings back traumatic memories that she may now finally have to confront.

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