Jakob Cedergren Movies
- 2009
This family-friendly sci-fi outing from Denmark concerns Valdemar, a freshman in high school whose path criss-crosses with that of time machine inventor named Benedict. Benedict, it seems, is immortal: in the Viking Era, the scientist fell prey to a curse by an evil Seeress who prevented him from ever dying. Unfortunately, Benedict can't travel back in time himself to reverse the Seeress's decision, so he asks Valdemar to help by undertaking the journey alone. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonas Wandschneider, Clara Maria Bahamondes, (more)
- 2008
Temporarily reassigned to the provincial Danish town of South Jutland after being accused of professional misconduct in Copenhagen, a by-the-books policeman begins to sense that the flowery façade of this picturesque hamlet masks something truly sinister dark drama based on author Erling Jepsen's novel of the same name. Constable Robert isn't used to life in the country, so when he's first confronted by the small-town customs of South Jutland he begins to feel as if he's drifted into some kind of all-too-quaint alternate reality. But perhaps his suspicion that everything here is just a little too perfect isn't just the result of simple culture shock, because the more Constable Robert gets to know about his new surroundings the more convinced he becomes that the community of South Jutland harbors a disturbing secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jakob Cedergren, Kim Bodnia, (more)
- 2007
Danish director Tomas Villum Jensen's acerbic satire Clash of Egos stars Ulrich Thomsen as Tonny, a husband and father so rage-addled that he got sent to jail for KO'ing a man in public. Tonny's wife, Tanja (Ellen Hillingso), grew humiliated and promptly divorced him, but Tonny luckily managed to swing occasional custody of his two children. On one of their prized afternoons together, Tonny and the kids hearken off to see the new Harry Potter movie, but run headfirst into the discouraging news that the film is sold out. With only one other option available to them at the cinema, the three must endure a thoroughly miserable afternoon at an über-pretentious Danish film called "The Murderer," directed by the snotty artiste director Claus Volter (Nikolaj Lie Kaas in a characterization reportedly inspired by Lars von Trier) . Frustrated, Tonny smashes a window in the cinema lobby (and barely manages to escape re-incarceration for it), then decides to track Volter down to demand a refund on their ticket and concession costs -- little knowing the misery he is about to cause in the life of this revered "film artist." ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, (more)
- 2006
Cultures collide and traditional beliefs are challenged when a group of Danish explorers arrive in the Arctic Circle and encounter an Inuit community determined to maintain their sense of culture in Atanarjuat director Zacharias Kunuk's cinematic meditation on this cultural and historical event. The year is 1922 and elderly shaman Awa (Pakak Innukshuk) is struggling to maintain his stormy relationship with rebellious daughter Apak (Leah Angutimarik). Her life marred by the same tragedy that befell her father, Apak is a shaman who is neglecting her current mate in favor of spending time with her deceased previous husband in the spirit realm. When a group of Danish explorers arrive and Awa is prompted to define his beliefs, his attempt to convey to his community the potentially damaging effects of Christian influence on Inuit culture offers a stirring look at the true meaning of tradition. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leah Angutimarik, Pakkak Innukshuk, (more)
- 2006
A struggling independent filmmaker desperate to salvage his failing marriage becomes dangerously obsessed with documenting his relationship in director Christoffer Boe's harrowing glimpse into one man's dark mental descent. Nicolas Bro (Nicolas Bro) is an actor who uses his handheld camera as a means of making the outside world a more tolerable place. When his best friend Christoffer (director Boe) suggests that Nicolas film every aspect of his life as a means of breaking his stifling inhibitions, Nicolas determines to capture a real life love story on camera as he attempts to win back his wife Lene. Though initially an amusing distraction, Nicolas growing penchant for filming the most intimate aspects of his personal life finds him becoming increasingly distanced from the real-world repercussions of his actions. Now, as Nicolas reverts ever deeper into the stories of his past and eschews the outside world in favor of documenting every minute detail of his life, his loose grip on reality begins to slip with frightening consequences. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Bro, Lene Maria Christensen, (more)
- 2005
With the bleak comedic drama Dark Horse, Icelandic director Dagur Kári reworks several thematic and topical elements from his prior film, Nói Albinói. He also crafts a feature which brings together two trends of Scandinavian cinema in the early 2000s: matter-of- fact examinations of ordinary, working class Scandinavian folks, with intersecting lives and stories, shot in stark black-and-white (typified by films such as Ragnar Bragasson's Born), and the low-key, whimsical, offbeat humor of northern European directors such as Aki Kaurismaki.Dark Horse opens in Copenhagen, where Daniel, a twentysomething young man, makes a paltry living as a graffiti painter, accepting money from Danish residents to create personalized valentines on the sides of buildings. Unable to collect enough from this trade to pay his rent, he is evicted and must approach his father for lodging, but the father refuses, forcing Daniel to sleep in his car. Daniel's friend Roger (nicknamed "Grandpa") works at a local medical clinic that is conducting sleep experiments on volunteers, including a judge; in Roger's off time, he trains as a football referee. Roger confides in Daniel about his discovery of a former model Franc, who works at a local bakery; Daniel and Franc inevitably then become involved, to Roger's consternation, and Roger plots to intervene by attempting to win Franc for himself. Meanwhile, the judge, suffering from pronounced sleep deprivation, has a complete emotional and mental breakdown and flies off the handle, engaging in increasingly bizarre and dysfunctional behavior. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jakob Cedergren, Tilly Scott Pedersen, (more)
