User Reviews

The aging Fru Nielsen is mother to a 20 year old semi-autistic son, Brian, who lives with her in their home behind a convenience store, which is run by Fru. One night Brian is late coming home from a walk, and in the morning Fru learns that a young woman was killed in the nearby park. She begins to worry that her son may have committed the murder, and she works to keep police suspicion at bay. However, a certain Detective Jesperson keeps returning to their home to question the boy. Jesperson is an older man and not unkind, but he knows the value of both persistence and patience in his work.

"A Place Nearby" is a simple character drama, simply told and well acted. Ghita Norby ("Hamsun," "The Kingdom") gives a tremendous performance as the weary, broken Fru Nielsen. Director Kaspar Rostrup for the most part lets the film rest upon the shoulders of his capable actors and the textured sets around them. Like the character Jesperson, Rostrup is confident and composed, trusting that every hidden truth will make its own path to the light.

If Krzysztof Kieslowski had ever decided to retell "Of Mice and Men" in a modern, urban setting, it might have looked very much like this film.

Fru Nielsen lives with her 20 year old son, Brian, who suffers from autism. Fru Nielsen runs the local convenience store with the help from her son. A tragic murder occurs on the very evening, that Brian has been out for a late walk and now Fru Nielsen will fend with everything in her power to protect her child from becoming the suspect. This drama is about not wanting to believe the truth about the ones you love and how this belief is slowly jolted, as you begin to realize the truth.

The drama also presents a wide spectrum of personalities, making it intriguing and interesting. I would recommend it very much.

After watching "her i naeheden" ,you may find "rain man" hollywoodian ,accomodating and facile ;Dustin Hoffman was a mental arithmetic champion , Thure Lindhart knows the calendar by heart and is an expert in the subject of the movements of the Sun .In a French movie ("le goût des merveilles" ),the autistic hero was in love with the prime numbers .

Thure Lindhardt blows both of them off the screen :he's so realistic, so convincing I thought he was a true autistic guy !Matching him every step of the way is Ghita Norby' s portrayal of an over possessive mom ,who is actually responsible for Brian's behavior ; apart of the time he spends in a holiday camp by the sea (flashback),he only leaves the house to go for a stroll in the park or for soome shopping ; and even during his sojourn ,mom did not want him to mix with the other children. When he watches attractive girls on TV , mom quickly changes channels and he has to make do with a documentary about the kangaroos ( these animals are some kind of symbol :mom keeps his dear one inside a kangaroo pocket). This monstruous mother turns down the help from psychiatrists ,because she really thinks she acts for he son's own good .

On the minus side , there's a tendency to dwell on the sordid side of life ,and the couple of junkies on the first floor, it may be too much ,for such a story does not need a red herring ; these characters are useful in one scene though:along with that of the cigarette in the park ,the sequence of the overdose reveals Brian 's true colors ,which is not an unexpected twist anyway,but which inspires Lindhart's pitiful extremism .

Stark ,utterly uncompromising , the movie may put off some viewers. You must bear in mind that this autistic young man is first a victim of a mother's insane love .