The Celebration (1998)

What an intense movie. Already in the first scene with the younger brother throwing his own wife and kids out of the car in a rather rude way, it becomes obvious that this movie will not meet the usual standards of etiquette.As the movie sticks to the rules of the Dogma 95 manifesto, the whole shooting was done by hand-held cameras. The hence somewhat shaky pictures may be a bit irritating in the beginning but at the same time, they make one feel being very close to the action and the unusual visual angles that become possible by using this technique, draw into the movie. Also, be aware that the movie does not use any background music, which is another concession to the Dogma 95 rules.The most shocking element of the movie probably is not the unadorned disclosure of the committed pedophilia itself but the fact that the whole pretending of being a family with respect for each other is an utter lie and has been for a very long time. It is only conventions of behavior that helped to keep up appearances. Especially the mother is living in her own world of negating the undeniable facts that once were presented to her very own eyes.Then, while some hard-boiled spectator may still shrug his shoulders thinking, that every family has its black sheep and maybe also its obnoxious Boor like the younger brother Michael, the whole evening party starts singing a racist song which is directed towards the black boyfriend of the daughter. Although this happens under the influence of alcohol, one could reply that alcohol only reveals the real character of people, ending in the conclusion that great parts of society are corrupted in a certain way. Some spectator may be able to relate to similar events in his own family background and start feeling uncomfortable about it. Still the movie is not all negative since there are also some pleasant characters like the waitress Pia (plaid by a young Trine Dyrholm) who is in love with the elder son of the family. At the end of the movie her affection is being answered and there is even hope that they both will live a happy life in Paris.For all those, who are looking for a feel-good movie, please go a long way round this one but for all those who fancy exposures of a complacent bourgeoisie, this is a must see.

"The Celebration" is a drama movie in which we watch a family gathering in order to celebrate the 60th birthday party of the father. In this celebration everything is going very well but after some time everything change and some unpleasant family truths are revealed. These truths change or ruin the relationships between many people and also give a different perspective on how we see many of those people.I liked this movie because it was very unpredictable and I could not even think what will come up next and that was something that kept me in tense in the whole duration of this movie. I also liked this movie because of the plot that had many swifts and I could not predict anything as I said before. The direction was equally good and made by Thomas Vinterberg. About the interpretations I have to mention the great interpretation which made by Ulrich Thomsen who played as Christian. Another good interpretation made by Thomas Bo Larsen who played as Michael.Finally I have to say that "The Celebration" is a classic drama movie which represents many families which have many secrets between its members. If these secrets come up then change everything and of course in many occasions hurt people.

Festen is a film I've been looking forward to for quite a while. I'm a big fan of Lars Von Trier's films (apart from The Idiots) and I understand that he was part of the whole Dogme 95 wave of filmmaking which saw Danes making films on hand-held cameras, using no props and no false lighting. Festen is the first official film to adhere to all these rules, although director Thomas Vinterberg did later admit to covering a window in one scene. Naughty, naughty! You'd think that it would be pretty difficult to make a good film in these conditions (have you seen The Idiots? It's dreadful!) but Festen somehow pulls it off. It's not just a good film, it's a great film.I was immediately engaged from the start with the strange camera angles and movements instantly grabbing my attention. In fact, it's this strange visual style which makes the film so involving and gripping. At times it feels like we're watching a fly-on-the-wall documentary, or perhaps some found footage from one of the guests. It also helps that the performances feel so real. You completely buy into the whole situation, no matter how darkly farcical it becomes.Festen features an array of characters who stick in your head after the film has finished. My favourite was probably Michael who had me laughing out loud on several occasions. He's an utterly over-the-top vile loon! Of course, the more you see of him, the more you start to dislike him and wonder how on earth he ever got married and managed to have two kids in the process! The film really gets going when one of the sons gets up to do a speech. Awkward doesn't even begin to describe it.The less you know about Festen the better! I avoided reviews because I didn't want any of the various shocks or twists revealed to me. That way you can become one of the guests who look in horror as the family's dysfunctions are revealed over the course of the night. I think a lot of credit has to go to Thomas' screenplay. It's a wonderful script which makes full use of its one-location idea and reveals its drama through character interactions which don't feel contrived in any way.I understand that Festen has been turned into a play and I can see why. There's so much bubbling under the surface and it often explodes beautifully in front of us. I love the way the characters slowly develop as the film goes on, as we get to learn new things about them. It makes the film so much richer and deeper. I also loved the ambiguity of it all. It's never made clear, until the end, whether what's being said is true or not.Towards the end of the film, Festen reveals itself as something much more than a dark comedy. It becomes a very sad and moving tale about childhood atrocities and losing someone you love. There's a haunting dream sequence at the end of the film which I found beautifully done and quite emotional. Festen is a great film, full of great performances and excellent filmmaking. Thomas Vinterberg isn't afraid to shock the audience, but unlike Lars in The Idiots, the controversial material is all relevant to the story and not used merely to make the audience react.

I have just watched Festen - I didn't know anything about the film before I turned it on, only that it had been highly rated. In the beginning everyone was honing towards a family celebration where something was clearly going to happen, but I wasn't prepared for the revelation that came from Christian. I thought the delivery of this was fantastic and so completely unexpected, perfectly juxtaposed. What I thought was even more interesting was the reaction of the guests. People just tried to carry on as normal and ignore this terrible revelation. I guess this is what we often do on these occasions. It was so incredibly uncomfortable but wonderfully captured. I loved the film quality, as though filmed on a hand held camera. It made it feel like a family video, which just exacerbated the awfulness of the situation. It was a great film - I'm not sure I would go in for a second viewing, but really thought it was well done.