(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Quiet heart
Director: Bille August, photo: Dirk Brüel
Veteran Bille August's new movie Quiet heart starts almost as an echo of the Danish dogma classic Festen from 1998. We meet Paprika Steen – who also starred in Thomas Vinterberg's film – in the role of Heidi, who arrives with her husband (Jens Albinus) and teenage son (Oskar Sælan Halskov) for their aging parents' house for a weekend that will prove to be a very special marking. But where one of the sons starts the drama by talking about the family's dark secrets in the said Dogme movie, it's in Quiet heart the mother – in Ghita Nørby's form – who has made the decision that forms the basis of the film's conflict.
Goodbye. Esther, as she is called, has been diagnosed with the so far incurable muscular dystrophy Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and the ailments have begun to manifest themselves. She has made the decision to end it before the disease progresses, assisted by her physician husband (Morten Grunwald). The family, who have all accepted the decision, are therefore invited to a last weekend together, which includes an out-of-season Christmas dinner – and which is scheduled to end with Esther falling asleep shortly after the others leave the house on Sunday. This must be done in a way that will appear to be suicide, so that the husband is not convicted of the offense it is to help someone to die.
A little after Heidi also arrives her younger sister Sanne (Danica Curcic), who has taken to the big sister's irritation with her immature of-and-on-girlfriend Dennis (Pilou Asbæk). In addition, Esther has invited her old friend Lisbeth (Vigga Bro), which also does not seem entirely appropriate for a farewell weekend for the family. The two sisters are in stark contrast to each other – Heidi as the definite and almost controlling, while Sanne is the nervous and unstable with a mental illness history. However, it is the latter who have secretly decided not to accept the mother's choice, and thus create further resistance in an already above-average family weekend.
Still Heart is another Danish drama that combines intelligent and credible portrayals with strong turning points.
Returns home. Bille August's big breakthrough came Pelle Conquer in 1987, which won both the Cannes Gold Palm and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. He followed up with The good will (1992) based on Ingmar Bergman's screenplay about his own parents, a film which was again awarded an Oscar in the non-English language category. After this, the Danish director started an international career, which includes literary adaptations such as House of spirits (1993) including Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons, Miss Smilla's sense of snow (1997) with Julia Ormond and Gabriel Byrne, and Goodbye Bafana (2007) with Dennis Haysbert and Joseph Fiennes, the latest on Nelson Mandela's relationship with his prison guard over twenty years.
However, August has more or less regularly returned to Scandinavia, as with co-productions Jerusalem (1996) with Maria Bonnevie and Pernille August and A song for Martin (2001) with Sven Wollter and Viveka Seldahl. Biography movie Marie Kroyer from 2012 marked a return to his home country, but presumably because his latest films have not been as successful, considered Quiet heart now as a comeback for August. Then it was also nominated for six of this year's Danish Bodil awards, of which it won four: for best film, best male supporting role (Asbæk), best female lead role (Curcic) and best film script (written by Christian Torpe). Strictly speaking, the film could not have won all six, as the last two nominations were for Steen and Nørby in the same category as Curcic. But all three could basically have been worthy winners.
Parallel to Vinterberg. While their careers are necessarily particularly similar, one can see a certain parallel to the aforementioned Thomas Vinterberg, who had a significant comeback with the Oscar nominee Jakten in 2012. After an uneven series of international productions without commercial success, Vinterberg returned to the Danish film industry as early as 2007 with the aptly titled – though not entirely successful – A Hero Returns, which he followed up with the strong drama Submarino (2010) and beyond Jakten. In contrast to August's heroic Quiet heart Vinterberg is currently present in Norwegian cinemas with the American-British Thomas Hardy adaptation Far from the Madding Crowd, which is disappointingly little current for our time. Perhaps it is therefore of the good that he has returned home for his next film Kollektivet, which is set to premiere next year.
The film focuses as much on those who want to live on as it does on those who want help in dying, but is still primarily about how the various family members relate to this decision.
At its best, both Vinterberg and August are examples of Danish filmmakers being world-class in the drama genre, often with a family at the center of the action (which this genre so far often has). And preferably when these directors make films in their home country, one may have to add. Quiet heart is yet another Danish drama that combines intelligent and credible portrayals with strong turning points. Admittedly, some plot elements towards the end may be perceived as a thought constructed, but these are not significant objections to a generally very well-written and well-directed film. The film tackles a heavy and difficult theme, but – again, like other dramas of the same nationality – it knows how to add some lighter and sometimes fun elements. Well to note without challenging the realistic tone of the film, but more in line with how humor is about to emerge in sad moments in reality as well.
Strong ensemble. As previously mentioned, both Paprika Steen and Ghita Nørby could have gladly received the Bodil statue which – no less well deserved – was awarded the star shot Danica Curcic. Quiet heart is an ensemble film with a cleverly composed group of actors, all of whom fit well in their roles and obviously the art of interacting rather than overshadowing each other. However, the manuscript gives women the most prominent positions in this chamber drama, although the men also assert themselves in some crucial situations. Not least, this applies to Sanne's "stoner" boyfriend, who on several occasions addresses emotional elephants in the room. In a memorable and relatively humorous sequence, he even gets most members of the family, including the dying matriarch, to smoke a joint – which on film is often tantamount to just opening up their feelings.
Euthanasia. Many films that deal with death are really more about life – inevitably, you might say. Still heart focuses as much on those who are going to live on as on her who wants help in dying – but is still primarily about how the various family members relate to this decision. Like the Israeli drama comedy The Farewell Party, which is currently also on Norwegian cinemas, this is ultimately a film that discusses active euthanasia.
When feature films deal with such sensitive themes, they often choose to avoid clear conclusions. Quiet heart is not overly bombastic or insistent in his message, but dares to take a stand for euthanasia – and that stands for respect. In that sense, it not only testifies to the fact that Bille August still has a secure grip on interpersonal drama, but also to a certain courage from an aging filmmaker who might have chosen to rest on his old triumphs.
Quiet heart has Norwegian
cinema premiere August 21st.
Huser is a film critic in Ny Tid.
alekshuser@ Gmail.com
