One of the films – revelations of the season, so much so as to respectively win the Bafta award, four European Film Awards, and finally the Oscar for Best International Film 2021, sanctioning its triumph and unconditional love for its characters. Another round, by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, is now finally out in theaters from May 20, distributed by Medusa Film and Movies Inspired, staging the story of four high school teachers (including the extraordinary Mads Mikkelsen) and their experiment-research: drinking a little alcohol every day, to return to being alive, creative, inspired, thus “improving” the work with your students.
“A liberating, miraculous film, but with an extremely personal and special value”, as Vinterberg said at the last Lucca Film Festival, dedicating it to his nineteen-year-old daughter Ilda, who died in a car accident in Africa, a few days before shooting, and remembered in the night of the statuette thanks to a moving and passionate speech.
How important was Ilda in this project?
“She loved it from the first moment I told her about it, she should have been a part of it as an actress. She felt it to such an extent that she was able to make suggestions, even though she knew how to be very frank in even criticizing me, telling me what might or might not work. I confided in her a lot. That’s why when she passed away she became the reason to give meaning to my days, to get up every morning: I had to make the film, finish it, thus honoring it ».
How did you deal with such pain?
«Slowly approaching religion, despite being an atheist. A complex, long, difficult process, in which if I am making progress I owe it to my wife Helene, she is a priest (in Denmark half of the priests are women, ed), which made me reflect in finding some answers about what happened, to try to believe ».
The film is basically about rebirth.
«And on second occasions, of possible and unexpected goals, we laugh, we cry, it is not just a celebration of alcohol, here I wanted to bring to life, to appreciate its very essence. Reading Hemingway often I find in his books this concept made up of rituals, places, inspirations, drinking or not, it teaches you to avoid being too analytical, predictable, because in the long run it drains you. These men then try to dare ».
Is this the key?
«Today’s generation has gotten used to having everything at hand, while the beauty lies in being able to lose control, starting from our ideas: you just have them, you can’t plan them. You have to know how to welcome them, understand how to address them, so that they can, as it were, keep you awake at night ».
Eight years later, she also “finds” Mads Mikkelsen here: what does it represent for her?
«It’s like having Messi on your team, he’s a competitive, a real fighter, seeing him at work always leaves me spellbound, it only happens with the greats. My wife and his are friends, we both live not too far apart, but our relationship has strengthened since the days of The Hunt – The suspect, and so in the last period, where his presence, having him next to him, was fundamental ».
Let’s try to go back in time: Festen – Family celebration, in 1998, he consecrated it internationally (Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, ed), and one of the founders of the Dogma 95 movement. What memories do you have of that period?
«When I made it I was 29, it was almost like a child’s game. Only later did we realize what the film had represented in terms of radical change, yet while we were doing it it felt like committing suicide. Many told me, “stop, stop, you’re crazy, so you risk ruining your career”. The challenge, in that case, was to jump into the void, but holding hands ».
The result paid off.
«In reality, success can be a problem. After Firm Years followed in which I did not know what to do, I felt lost, I had the impression of having gone too far, I even thought I was not able to achieve something better ».
And then instead …
«When you make your debut in a certain way, creating something provocative, you know that you open up to the world, take risks, face your insecurities, but you become more aware, courageous, present to yourself, I think that’s the most important aspect, compared to falling into what makes you confident, what the public likes. This is why I hate fossilizing myself in conventions ».
What boy was that?
«I grew up in a hippie commune, stayed there until I was 20. I was divided between television and Bilal’s comics, which dad sent from France, between a sense of isolation and an atmosphere around me of people from different countries, looking for freedom, escape, creativity, looking for something new. It was there that I developed an interest in the dynamics of the group, in the concept of family, one of the most recurring themes in my works. At 16 I was shy, but I knew one thing: I wanted to be famous. I started playing the guitar, I had many musician friends, unfortunately I was not good, and so I preferred to go to the cinema. On the set I found that sense of collectivity, collaboration, solidarity, the idea of surrounding myself with faces, all gathered to capture a moment of vulnerability, strength, of an actor or of a story ».
Who did he look to most as examples?
«Coppola, Scorsese, Pasolini, Truffaut, their films have changed my vision, cementing a form of falling in love, purity and realism. Cinema is this: a journey in search of truth ».
Among them was Ingmar Bergman.
“One day I called him to apologize, saying I had copied a scene from him Fanny e Alexander, he said not to worry, because in turn he had stolen from Visconti! He was a great teacher. He told me “always invent before the presentation of a film, don’t let yourself be paralyzed by a failure, don’t cling to recognition, which is perhaps even worse. Decide immediately, in advance, make sure that ideas pass directly from the heart to the hand, without too many thoughts ”».
He followed his advice, as he is ready for a new serial adventure entitled Families Like Ours
«It will touch on the theme of migration to Denmark: it will be a family saga, but also a declaration of love for my country ».
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
