Anders Matthesen Movies

Reality and cinematic fantasy converge in the mind of a disturbed man in this drama from Denmark. Kriss Henriksen (Anders Matthesen) is a man in his late twenties who suffers from Asberger's Syndrome, a condition similar to autism. Kriss has been in and out of mental institutions most of his life, much to the chagrin of his mother, a widow how regards Kriss as a burden than prevents her from finding a new man. Kriss's favorite movie is Pure Hearts, a melodrama from the Forties in concerning the checkered romantic history of a lovely young woman named Linda (Laura Bro); Kriss has watched the film dozens of times, even though his videotape, recorded from a television broadcast, cuts off the picture's finale, stopping just as Linda turns a gun on herself following yet another heartbreak. Kriss learns that Ulla Villstrup (Helle Hertz), the actress who played Linda, is still alive and lives with her granddaughter in Copenhagen; slipping away from reality, Kriss takes it upon himself to find Ulla and save her from her life of romantic disappointment before she commits suicide. Kriss escapes from the hospital that's his current home in the company of his friend Willy (Morten Suurballe), a man suffering from intense paranoia who responds to the slightest threat with life-threatening violence, leaving mayhem in their wake. Rene Hjerter (aka Pure Hearts) was the first feature film from director Kenneth Kainz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide