FESTEN centres around a family and invited guests gathering to celebrate their fathers 60th birthday. During the celebrations the eldest son delivers a speech that goes down like a turd in a swimming pool. The speech rips open an incestuous can of worms, which soon has Daddy choking on his birthday cake. Much alcohol is consumed which adds to the tense dinner atmosphere.
None more black comedy from those supposed no sense of humour socially stable Scandinavians proving that cultural stereotypes are just that, stereotypes ...and that even the grimmest subject matter can be treated with humour.... anyone fancy a comedy about sectarianism....?
Filmed according to the Dogme doctrine, FESTEN is a raw experience that shows that with a good story you don't need any pre production or much post for that matter. The Dogma vow of chastity requires that there should be no music unless it occurs where the scene is being shot, that the camera must be hand held and moving, and that there should be no special lighting. Despite this - or maybe because of it - FESTEN is an emotional family crisis film dealing with love, cruelty and racism and its a must see.
You might think that the Dogme restrictions would render FESTEN a bit bleak and amateurish, after all why would filmmakers want to return to these baked beans methods of production. SIMPLE! It works rather than polishing a turd of a story as so many films do. FESTEN is narrative driven and character led. 140 minutes of gripping drama-charming grotesque overbearing that sticks to you like s___ to a blanket.
Go and rent it now.
None more black comedy from those supposed no sense of humour socially stable Scandinavians proving that cultural stereotypes are just that, stereotypes ...and that even the grimmest subject matter can be treated with humour.... anyone fancy a comedy about sectarianism....?
Filmed according to the Dogme doctrine, FESTEN is a raw experience that shows that with a good story you don't need any pre production or much post for that matter. The Dogma vow of chastity requires that there should be no music unless it occurs where the scene is being shot, that the camera must be hand held and moving, and that there should be no special lighting. Despite this - or maybe because of it - FESTEN is an emotional family crisis film dealing with love, cruelty and racism and its a must see.
You might think that the Dogme restrictions would render FESTEN a bit bleak and amateurish, after all why would filmmakers want to return to these baked beans methods of production. SIMPLE! It works rather than polishing a turd of a story as so many films do. FESTEN is narrative driven and character led. 140 minutes of gripping drama-charming grotesque overbearing that sticks to you like s___ to a blanket.
Go and rent it now.