Paw Henriksen Movies
- 2004
Danish filmmaker Max Kestner uses photos, home movies, and contemporary recreations to offer a look at his own life in this "animated documentary." In Rejsen på Ophavet (aka Max by Chance), Kestner traces his family back through several generations, and shows both affection and witty puzzlement at the Kestners who came before him, ranging from career naval men to long-haired counter-culture activists. With wit and perception, Kestner explores how their pasts informed his present and continue to shape his future. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Two brothers unwittingly exchange roles under the fog of war in this powerful drama. Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) and Jannick (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) are two brothers who have always meshed as well as oil and water. Michael is a caring husband and father who risen to the rank of major in the Danish Army, while Jannick is an alcoholic with a violent streak who has been in and out of prison much of his life. Jannick has just been released after serving time for armed robbery when Michael learns he's being sent to Afghanistan; Jannick quarrels with both Michael and his parents at a going-away dinner, which does nothing to endear him to Michael's wife, Sarah (Connie Nielsen). However, when Sarah receives word that Michael's helicopter has been shot down and the crew has gone missing, Jannick tries to assume some degree of familial responsibility, helping Sarah with the children and helping to keep the house in repair. As the months roll on, Jannick finds that family life agrees with him; he cuts back on his drinking, gets a job, and grows increasingly fond of Sarah, who also takes a liking to her brother-in-law's new style. However, as Jannick finally grows into a responsible adult, he and Sarah learn that Michael has been released from an Afghan military prison and is being sent home. As Sarah and Jannick come to terms with their feelings for one another, they are disturbed by Michael's new presence; after several hellish months in captivity, he's become an angry and emotionally broken man, who is haunted by ugly memories and suspects his wife and brother of betrayal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Connie Nielsen, Ulrich Thomsen, (more)
- 2006
A mother and daughter are locked in a brief but bitter rivalry for the same man in this drama from Denmark. Fourteen-year-old Liv (Malou Leth Reyman) and sixteen-year-old Danny (Frederik Paarup) are spending Christmas with their Mother (Nastja Arcel), who is still adjusting to life on her own after a contentious divorce. Mother isn't especially interested in celebrating for the holiday, and Liv has decided to fix the traditional Christmas dinner her mother doesn't want to make. However, on Christmas Eve, Mother goes to a holiday party with her co-workers, and the next morning Liv and Danny discover she brought home a handsome man in his mid-20's, Jonas (Paw Henriksen). As Mother tries to sleep off the effects of the evening's drinking, Jonas joins Liv in the kitchen to help make dinner, and the girl quickly becomes smitten with the houseguest. However, when Mother finally joins the party, her sexual attraction to Jonas become obvious, and Liv becomes infuriated with her mother, who clearly has the upper hand in winning the attentions of the charming stranger. Liv (aka Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) was written and directed by Heidi Maria Faisst for Danish television, though it later made the rounds of the European film festival circuit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Malou Leth Reyman, Nastja Arcel, (more)
- 2007
In this comedy, Sebastian (Oliver Moller Knauer) is a handsome but shy young man living in a small town in Denmark who is cursed with a stutter. Sebastian is in love with a beautiful girl, Claudia (Helene Reingaard Neumann), who has agreed to marry him. However, Claudia isn't Sebastian's first love, and a chance meeting with his old girlfriend Maria (Ronja Mannov Olesen) leads to him being unfaithful to his fiancée for the first time. Sebastian could use some advice from a male role model, but the town is abuzz because Karl Kristian Schmidt (Thomas Bo Larsen), a internationally famous opera singer who is the village's most famous son, is coming home for a visit and no one has time to talk to him. Sebastian decides to ask his mother what to do and she makes a surprising confession -- while she's always told Sebastian his dad was killed in a train accident not long before he was born, the truth is Schmidt fathered him during a brief fling before he left town to seek his fortune. Now Sebastian is determined to meet the great singer during his brief visit, and it turns out Schmidt has plenty of advice for his long-lost son. En Mand Kommer Hjem (aka When A Man Comes Home) received its American premiere at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oliver Møller Knauer, Thomas Bo Larsen, (more)
