Lars Kolvig Movies

After a number of big-budget international projects, writer and director Bille August scaled himself back with this intimate story about two people who find both love and tragedy late in life. Martin (Sven Wolter) is a well-known and highly respected classical composer and conductor in his early sixties. While rehearsing for a concert, Martin becomes aquatinted with Barbara (Viveka Seldahl), the orchestra's concertmaster who is ten years his junior. While both Martin and Barbara are married, there is a strong mutual attraction between them, and after a brief affair they decide to divorce their respective mates and get married. Despite the objections of their children (all of whom are fully grown), Martin and Barbara wed, settling into a happy and productive relationship in Sweden. But five years later, while Barbara assists Martin with his latest project, she notices his memory seems to be failing him, and his personality is beginning to shift. A doctor diagnoses Martin's condition as the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and as his condition worsens, Martin finds it more and more difficult to write the music that means so much to him. Barbara, on the other hand, wants to help her husband, but as his memory fades and his confidence goes with it, she sees the brilliant artist she fell in love with slipping away, and she's not sure how she feels about the increasingly feeble stranger who has taken his place. En Sang For Martin was based on the novel Boken om E by Ulla Isaksson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this thoughtful Scandinavian drama, a teenage boy wrestles with his sexuality and learns that most of his deepest fears were unfounded. Sebastian is almost 17 when he figures out that he is a homosexual. Though he lives with wonderful, stable parents and has a good-hearted sister, he finds himself wracked with turmoil and suddenly withdraws from them all. The more they try to understand why, the more distant Sebastian becomes. Things get worse when he falls in love with the handsome Ulf, who comes from an unstable, tempestuous home. Sebastian realizes he is lucky, but still can't help but become irritated when he brings Ulf home for dinner. His parents are too nice and this quietly infuriates their son. Eventually they leave the two boys alone in the house. Sebastian have great fun doing teenage guy stuff, but then they take a bath together and it is then that Sebastian tries to kiss Ulf. The latter is confused by the gesture and quickly pulls away, making feel Sebastian feel even worse. Soon afterward, the even more pained Sebastian finally comes out to his parents who despite their love and support are still deeply hurt. Despite their own suffering, the parents remain determined to love and support their son, something that surprises and comforts Sebastian. Even his sister offers a few words of encouragement. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A sister and brother must deal with their parents' divorce in this Danish family drama. It is set during the Berlin crisis in 1962. Carmen, the nervous one, and her brother Adrian, aka Babyface, lead happy lives. Their father is a ceramist, and their mother is an earth momma. After their pappa runs away with an apprentice, the family harmony is shattered. The devastated mother and her children move to a drafty old cottage in the country. The children are outcast by their new schoolmates. Carmen avoids them, but Adrian is bullied. He finally does find a friend, but the friendship is temporary. Adrian's teacher finally provides him the nurturance he craves. An electrical storm brings ominous developments to the little family. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

As children will often do, Eigil (Bjarke Smitt Vestermark) has a hard time with certain figures of speech his parents habitually use. Why are they "leaving the Snooks" and "buying a cat in a bag?" (These are Scandanavian expressions for going crazy and getting the worst of a deal, respectively.) He believes that the Snooks must feel bad about being left in that fashion, and surely someone must rescue that poor cat. In this children's movie combining puppets and live action, Eigil sets out to make things right. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Kaspar Rostrup's drama is a portrait of a marriage told from the husband's viewpoint. Told in flashbacks, the film examines both the couple's newlywed years and the twilight of their lives together, as well as all of the good and bad times in between. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

It is the beginning of the Stone Age in prehistoric times. Five young tribespeople have run away from their warrior tribe and take up life with a peaceful group of river dwellers. Far from stumbling into an idyllic society, they discover that these new people are even more rigidly organized than their tribe was. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Johnny (Allan Olsen) must face the realities of adulthood in this drama with comedic overtones. He tries his hand as an unskilled laborer before facing the trials of unemployment. Johnny breaks away from the socialist ideals held dear by his family and also manages to fall in love. His career as an Army volunteer leads to trouble as he faces life and gains self respect through his experiences. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This film follows a good-natured young clerk through the back-alleys and darkest slums of Copenhagen as he grows increasingly involved with the criminal and drug underground. Though he attempts to keep some integrity in an environment which does not value it, he becomes embroiled in a situation involving prison escapes, drug-smuggling, car-chases and shoot-outs. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this police thriller, a policeman returning to work after a nervous breakdown is asked to give perfunctory treatment to a case involving his ex-wife and her new lover, a petty criminal. This kibosh has been laid on by his higher-ups at the urging of a group of important businessmen. However, the policeman persistently investigates and nearly blows the lid off of a really big swindling operation. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This Danish softcore pornographic film falls into the curious category known as "family pornography"; it is sufficiently innocent and has sufficiently discreet photography that even though much of the film concerns people making love, it is difficult for even the most prudish to take much offense. The story concerns a young heiress whose factories will be lost to inheritance taxes unless she marries the son of the owner of a rival company. Her current lover has the same name as the industrialist's son, and confusion abounds. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This documentary about the Danish sex industry gives a somewhat banal and depressing view of a business no one would have imagined to be very glamorous to begin with. Not as heavily crammed with pornography as is usually the case in such films, instead, it show interviews with people working the sex trade. Among those featured are the "Boar Girl," and a married heterosexual couple who give live sex shows but have the difficulty of no longer finding one another attractive. Despite some mild pleasures, the film is said to offer neither information nor prurient satisfaction. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi