Laura Bro Movies
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
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
- Starring:
- Anders Matthesen, Laura Bro, (more)
