ABOUT THE FILM
Main Idea/Topic:
The main idea of the film is to present themes of situations that happen every day, but we are most of the time unaware of or don’t really care about. The main idea is to show the dark side of this world and how once we are accused no matter if we are innocent, we will always be seen with different eyes, to some extent this is a movie about rejection and the reason and things that we reject as social actors.
Main Characters:
Henrik Christorffersen
Nina
Stine
Pede
Pernille
Bent
Miriam
PERSONAL RESPONSES
Initial Responses:
This is a movie about the bad things that happen in life, and totally ruin a person for life. A movie about those things we sometimes do not want to know about; a movie that tries to open our life exposing us to the sometimes the crudeness of reality and how we try to evade it.
Later Responses:
This movie portrays one of the greater truths about life, that the worst moment is not the moment in which we are judged or take into trial but what comes after; the real nasty thing of being accused of something whether one is or is not guilty is that people will always see you as if you were, because your socially bestowed and sustained identity once so good is now gone with the wind, leaving only a bad reputation, leaving a Scarlet Letter that we will carry in our foreheads for a long time if not the rest of our lives. Then this movie tries to make the audience to sympathize with the molester father, but not to forgive him, and perhaps give him another chance which he probably doesn’t deserve even tough he deeply regrets what he did, tries to make an excuse as saying that he thought her daughter liked it, and he did it not to show off his power, but for love.
Who is the writer on the film? / Has the screenplay been adapted from another work?
Kim Fupz Aakeson
The film screenplay is has not been adapted from another work.
Background on the director:
Jacob Thuesen was born in Denmark in 1962, and graduated in editing from the National Film School of Denmark in 1991. He has edited for Jørgen Leth and Lars von Trier. He wrote and directed the award-winning, feature-length documentary Under New York (1996). Anklaget/Accused (2005) was chosen for the Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival.
(www.miamifilmfestival.com)
When was the film made? / What is/was the social and political climate like at the time in that country and the world?
Denmark is the oldest monarchy in Europe. In 1849, it became a constitutional monarchy with the adoption of a new constitution. The monarch is formally head of state, a role which is mainly ceremonial, since executive power, while exercised by the monarch, is exercised through the cabinet ministers, with the prime minister acting as the first among equals (primus inter pares). Legislative power is vested in both the monarch and the Danish parliament, known as the Folketing, which consists of (no more than) 179 members. The judiciary power rests with the court. Elections for parliament must be held at least every four years; but the prime minister can call for an earlier election. Should parliament succeed in a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister the entire government resigns. The country is often run by minority governments. Denmark practices universal suffrage and in all matters, women are considered equal to men by Danish law. Except that they are not drafted, but they may choose to serve on a voluntarily basis; the death sentence was abolished in Denmark in 1930. It was briefly reintroduced after World War II, by popular demand. 46 people were executed for war crimes, after which the death sentence saw no use for years. In 1978 it was finally abolished again. It is illegal per Danish law to extradite citizens to countries where the citizen would face the death sentence. Political life in Denmark is orderly and democratic. Political changes occur gradually through a process of consensus, and political methods and attitudes are generally moderate. The Social Democrats, historically identified with a well-organized labor movement but today appealing more broadly to the middle class, has held power either alone in minority cabinets or as dominant party in coalition cabinets for most of the postwar period. 1982 to 1993, and since the 2001 election Denmark has been governed by liberal-conservative coalitions – currently led by Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Prime Minister. The vulnerability implicit in a minority coalition has been evidenced in recent coalition failure to achieve consensus on issues such as extensive reforms on matters of labor market, taxation, and the welfare system. Consensus decision-making is the most prominent feature of Danish politics. It often allows the small centrist parties to play a larger role than their size suggests. Although the centrist Radikale party sometimes shows traces of its pacifist past, particularly on defense spending, most major legislation is passed by sizeable majorities.
(www.wikipedia.com)
What does the title mean in relation with the film as a whole?
Try to establish a connection –sometimes clear, sometimes metaphorical.
The title of the film has an obvious and extremely clear relation; the movie takes place around the mayor event of the film. The fact that Henrik Christoferssen is accused of abusing his twelve year old daughter, by maintaining sexual intercourse while the mother was out of the country.
Describe how the opening credits are presented? / How do they relate to meaning?
It starts with a scene in which a woman jumps into a pool and fades to black, and then it fades in to a shot in which Henrik is holding the woman which is floating on her back and tells her to relax because she is in good hands, it fades to black again and then fades in to a shot in which Henrik is taking his stuff out of his locker to go home, it fades to black once more and fades in to a shot in which he is actually leaving the building, it fades to black over again and this time the title of the film is presented. All the time the credits are being shown in the black spots and the shots in white letters and the sound of what is happening is also humming. It is an elliptical narration. The credits are related to the film as a whole in the first shot, because when Henrik is holding the woman in the pool is doing it really tight and you can not distinguish if he is holding her in a sexual way or just for teaching matters. I consider the whole film is resumed in this sublime shot, because it reflects what Henrik did with his daughter, that is holding or having her sexually or for love and security, as he said he did when he used to take baths with his child.
What three or four sequences are most important in the film? / Why?
The scene in which Henrik’s boss calls him to solve a problem with a child who was taking swimming classes with him and cried because Henrik was pushing to hard or putting too much pressure on him, while all this is being talked over Henrik is there like in a mental bubble just staring at the hands of the little kid who is playing with a toy. This scene is important because gives us an approach to Henrik’s mental state; it shows that Henrik at that point does not pays attention nor care anymore about anything people says.
The scene in which he is at the police station and he says to the police officer if he has heard the joke in which someone ask you: “Have you stopped beating your wife?” And explains that if you say yes you would admit you used to beat your wife and if you say no, it implies you are still beating her. Either way one is framed. Then he says to the police officer: “Have you stopped sleeping with your daughter?” This scene in important because it establishes that it really does not matter what he says he is guilty; but more important about this scene is that he is making a metaphor to the “unfairness” of the situation’s justice and the police logical structure of judging. A really brilliant and subtle insult.
The scene in which Henrik is in his cell block and he starts walking across the little room over and over again. This is important because it symbolically shows what Henrik feels and thinks about the situation he is in; that is, a really claustrophobically situation where it seems that the walls are starting to close on over him, because apparently there is no way out of the mess he is in.
The scene in which Henrik is teaching his class how the body floats when there is air in the lungs, no matter how deep someone pushes you into the water the body will float into the surface and while he is telling this he shows them using Pede as an example, then everybody does it. This is important because the way people are holding to themselves is a fetal position and also the ambient they are in is water just like in a mother’s belly were one knows only truth. this is important because the underlying metaphor of these scene refers to the fact that that everything is about to break down, because no matter how deep we are, the air that represents the truth is always going to float out to the open.
The scene in which Henrik is talking to Nina, and she is telling him that they have to get Staine back; as Henrik asks why? Nina responds that because is their child and they are obliged to forgive her, and because that is what parents do. This scene is particularly important for me as it is a clear example of the codes of family, the social mechanisms of control and the playing or embracing a role which is predetermined. In other words is a sociological scene.
The closing scene in which Henrik gets out of the house in a robe bear foot into the cold street of Copenhagen and slowly gets on his knees and starts crawling in the street towards some kids that were there; the kids look at him from above in an angle that gives them some sort of power, and Henrik tells them to “call for an adult.” This scene is important because it made me perceive that probably Henrik was abused too when he was a child. But the really important things are that in this scene, Henrik crawls because he finds that playing the role of a baby may be a cathartic way to forgive himself; and also it might say that Henrik probably never grew up.
What were your expectations from your knowledge of that country’s cinema or director’s work? / Where they confirmed or disappointed? Explain.
I expected a lot from this movie, because Danish Cinema has a good trajectory on movie making especially in its golden age (1903-1913) and after with Nordisk Film Company, also Denmark has great talents such as Asta Nielsen or Vigo Mortessen. I had no expectations about which topics in specific, but certainly I did not expect this kind of themes out of Danish Cinema. My expectations were confirmed in a more than excellent way, because not only the movie was well directed and edited but the theme per se and the resolution of the story was brilliant; without doubt one of the best movies the Miami International Film Festival presented in this year 2006.
In your opinion, what was the aim/purpose of this film? Be specific.
The purpose of this film is no other than trying to raise questions about suppressed themes. Such as children sexual abuse, as is this time is the case of the film.
Give at least five examples from the film (besides the language) which signal it’s being labeled a film from _____________________ (country).
Direct and fearless approach on screen to social problems
State funding
Acting style full of pathos
Contain of powerful scenes
Theme of suffering woman figure
How does the film try to make its case? (e.g. by emotional appeal, alienation, manipulation of point of view, documentary authority, symbolism, etc.) Give examples. / Is it persuasive?
This movie made its case thru symbolism, emotional appeal and alienation up to some point. Alienation because themes like these make us try to watch or to keep from away, because it appears really disturbing the fact of a father molesting her little daughter. Emotional appeal because we kind of feel sorry for the father being wrongly accused and sent to jail, as people always tend to be on the side of the truth we feel sorry and take his side until, its revealed the he actually was guilty and we take the side of the daughter, because she is a victim and we try to defend the weaker people, also because we feel disgusted by the father’s action. Finally, by symbolism because many if not all the significant mental states of the characters are expressed thru symbolic scenes or the fact that he is left handed, which for me is a symbol of being different or having an unusual way of doing things, taking into account that almost everyone is right handed.
Main Idea/Topic:
The main idea of the film is to present themes of situations that happen every day, but we are most of the time unaware of or don’t really care about. The main idea is to show the dark side of this world and how once we are accused no matter if we are innocent, we will always be seen with different eyes, to some extent this is a movie about rejection and the reason and things that we reject as social actors.
Main Characters:
Henrik Christorffersen
Nina
Stine
Pede
Pernille
Bent
Miriam
PERSONAL RESPONSES
Initial Responses:
This is a movie about the bad things that happen in life, and totally ruin a person for life. A movie about those things we sometimes do not want to know about; a movie that tries to open our life exposing us to the sometimes the crudeness of reality and how we try to evade it.
Later Responses:
This movie portrays one of the greater truths about life, that the worst moment is not the moment in which we are judged or take into trial but what comes after; the real nasty thing of being accused of something whether one is or is not guilty is that people will always see you as if you were, because your socially bestowed and sustained identity once so good is now gone with the wind, leaving only a bad reputation, leaving a Scarlet Letter that we will carry in our foreheads for a long time if not the rest of our lives. Then this movie tries to make the audience to sympathize with the molester father, but not to forgive him, and perhaps give him another chance which he probably doesn’t deserve even tough he deeply regrets what he did, tries to make an excuse as saying that he thought her daughter liked it, and he did it not to show off his power, but for love.
Who is the writer on the film? / Has the screenplay been adapted from another work?
Kim Fupz Aakeson
The film screenplay is has not been adapted from another work.
Background on the director:
Jacob Thuesen was born in Denmark in 1962, and graduated in editing from the National Film School of Denmark in 1991. He has edited for Jørgen Leth and Lars von Trier. He wrote and directed the award-winning, feature-length documentary Under New York (1996). Anklaget/Accused (2005) was chosen for the Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival.
(www.miamifilmfestival.com)
When was the film made? / What is/was the social and political climate like at the time in that country and the world?
Denmark is the oldest monarchy in Europe. In 1849, it became a constitutional monarchy with the adoption of a new constitution. The monarch is formally head of state, a role which is mainly ceremonial, since executive power, while exercised by the monarch, is exercised through the cabinet ministers, with the prime minister acting as the first among equals (primus inter pares). Legislative power is vested in both the monarch and the Danish parliament, known as the Folketing, which consists of (no more than) 179 members. The judiciary power rests with the court. Elections for parliament must be held at least every four years; but the prime minister can call for an earlier election. Should parliament succeed in a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister the entire government resigns. The country is often run by minority governments. Denmark practices universal suffrage and in all matters, women are considered equal to men by Danish law. Except that they are not drafted, but they may choose to serve on a voluntarily basis; the death sentence was abolished in Denmark in 1930. It was briefly reintroduced after World War II, by popular demand. 46 people were executed for war crimes, after which the death sentence saw no use for years. In 1978 it was finally abolished again. It is illegal per Danish law to extradite citizens to countries where the citizen would face the death sentence. Political life in Denmark is orderly and democratic. Political changes occur gradually through a process of consensus, and political methods and attitudes are generally moderate. The Social Democrats, historically identified with a well-organized labor movement but today appealing more broadly to the middle class, has held power either alone in minority cabinets or as dominant party in coalition cabinets for most of the postwar period. 1982 to 1993, and since the 2001 election Denmark has been governed by liberal-conservative coalitions – currently led by Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Prime Minister. The vulnerability implicit in a minority coalition has been evidenced in recent coalition failure to achieve consensus on issues such as extensive reforms on matters of labor market, taxation, and the welfare system. Consensus decision-making is the most prominent feature of Danish politics. It often allows the small centrist parties to play a larger role than their size suggests. Although the centrist Radikale party sometimes shows traces of its pacifist past, particularly on defense spending, most major legislation is passed by sizeable majorities.
(www.wikipedia.com)
What does the title mean in relation with the film as a whole?
Try to establish a connection –sometimes clear, sometimes metaphorical.
The title of the film has an obvious and extremely clear relation; the movie takes place around the mayor event of the film. The fact that Henrik Christoferssen is accused of abusing his twelve year old daughter, by maintaining sexual intercourse while the mother was out of the country.
Describe how the opening credits are presented? / How do they relate to meaning?
It starts with a scene in which a woman jumps into a pool and fades to black, and then it fades in to a shot in which Henrik is holding the woman which is floating on her back and tells her to relax because she is in good hands, it fades to black again and then fades in to a shot in which Henrik is taking his stuff out of his locker to go home, it fades to black once more and fades in to a shot in which he is actually leaving the building, it fades to black over again and this time the title of the film is presented. All the time the credits are being shown in the black spots and the shots in white letters and the sound of what is happening is also humming. It is an elliptical narration. The credits are related to the film as a whole in the first shot, because when Henrik is holding the woman in the pool is doing it really tight and you can not distinguish if he is holding her in a sexual way or just for teaching matters. I consider the whole film is resumed in this sublime shot, because it reflects what Henrik did with his daughter, that is holding or having her sexually or for love and security, as he said he did when he used to take baths with his child.
What three or four sequences are most important in the film? / Why?
The scene in which Henrik’s boss calls him to solve a problem with a child who was taking swimming classes with him and cried because Henrik was pushing to hard or putting too much pressure on him, while all this is being talked over Henrik is there like in a mental bubble just staring at the hands of the little kid who is playing with a toy. This scene is important because gives us an approach to Henrik’s mental state; it shows that Henrik at that point does not pays attention nor care anymore about anything people says.
The scene in which he is at the police station and he says to the police officer if he has heard the joke in which someone ask you: “Have you stopped beating your wife?” And explains that if you say yes you would admit you used to beat your wife and if you say no, it implies you are still beating her. Either way one is framed. Then he says to the police officer: “Have you stopped sleeping with your daughter?” This scene in important because it establishes that it really does not matter what he says he is guilty; but more important about this scene is that he is making a metaphor to the “unfairness” of the situation’s justice and the police logical structure of judging. A really brilliant and subtle insult.
The scene in which Henrik is in his cell block and he starts walking across the little room over and over again. This is important because it symbolically shows what Henrik feels and thinks about the situation he is in; that is, a really claustrophobically situation where it seems that the walls are starting to close on over him, because apparently there is no way out of the mess he is in.
The scene in which Henrik is teaching his class how the body floats when there is air in the lungs, no matter how deep someone pushes you into the water the body will float into the surface and while he is telling this he shows them using Pede as an example, then everybody does it. This is important because the way people are holding to themselves is a fetal position and also the ambient they are in is water just like in a mother’s belly were one knows only truth. this is important because the underlying metaphor of these scene refers to the fact that that everything is about to break down, because no matter how deep we are, the air that represents the truth is always going to float out to the open.
The scene in which Henrik is talking to Nina, and she is telling him that they have to get Staine back; as Henrik asks why? Nina responds that because is their child and they are obliged to forgive her, and because that is what parents do. This scene is particularly important for me as it is a clear example of the codes of family, the social mechanisms of control and the playing or embracing a role which is predetermined. In other words is a sociological scene.
The closing scene in which Henrik gets out of the house in a robe bear foot into the cold street of Copenhagen and slowly gets on his knees and starts crawling in the street towards some kids that were there; the kids look at him from above in an angle that gives them some sort of power, and Henrik tells them to “call for an adult.” This scene is important because it made me perceive that probably Henrik was abused too when he was a child. But the really important things are that in this scene, Henrik crawls because he finds that playing the role of a baby may be a cathartic way to forgive himself; and also it might say that Henrik probably never grew up.
What were your expectations from your knowledge of that country’s cinema or director’s work? / Where they confirmed or disappointed? Explain.
I expected a lot from this movie, because Danish Cinema has a good trajectory on movie making especially in its golden age (1903-1913) and after with Nordisk Film Company, also Denmark has great talents such as Asta Nielsen or Vigo Mortessen. I had no expectations about which topics in specific, but certainly I did not expect this kind of themes out of Danish Cinema. My expectations were confirmed in a more than excellent way, because not only the movie was well directed and edited but the theme per se and the resolution of the story was brilliant; without doubt one of the best movies the Miami International Film Festival presented in this year 2006.
In your opinion, what was the aim/purpose of this film? Be specific.
The purpose of this film is no other than trying to raise questions about suppressed themes. Such as children sexual abuse, as is this time is the case of the film.
Give at least five examples from the film (besides the language) which signal it’s being labeled a film from _____________________ (country).
Direct and fearless approach on screen to social problems
State funding
Acting style full of pathos
Contain of powerful scenes
Theme of suffering woman figure
How does the film try to make its case? (e.g. by emotional appeal, alienation, manipulation of point of view, documentary authority, symbolism, etc.) Give examples. / Is it persuasive?
This movie made its case thru symbolism, emotional appeal and alienation up to some point. Alienation because themes like these make us try to watch or to keep from away, because it appears really disturbing the fact of a father molesting her little daughter. Emotional appeal because we kind of feel sorry for the father being wrongly accused and sent to jail, as people always tend to be on the side of the truth we feel sorry and take his side until, its revealed the he actually was guilty and we take the side of the daughter, because she is a victim and we try to defend the weaker people, also because we feel disgusted by the father’s action. Finally, by symbolism because many if not all the significant mental states of the characters are expressed thru symbolic scenes or the fact that he is left handed, which for me is a symbol of being different or having an unusual way of doing things, taking into account that almost everyone is right handed.
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