THE EIGHTEENTH
[DEN ATTENDE]
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
Denmark, 1996 Running Length: 1:36 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/1/97, 5/3/97 & 5/7/97
Cast: Sanne Grauland, Rasmus Botoft, Niels Anders Thorn, Rebecca Sorensen, Lotte Bergstrom, Soren Christensen, Finn Nielsen, Ulla Hokansson Director: Anders Ronnow-Klarlund Producer: Thomas Mai Screenplay: Anders Ronnow-Klarlund Cinematography: Eigil Bryld Music: Martin Klarlund In Danish with subtitles
The events of THE EIGHTEENTH, Anders Ronnow-Klarlund's feature debut, transpire on the day when Danes voted to join the European Union: May 18, 1993. That date was a watershed for the country, and more than 80% of all eligible voters turned out to cast a ballot. And, even though well over 50% of the vote was to join, dissidents rioted in the streets of Copenhagen after the results had been announced. THE EIGHTEENTH, which takes place with this as its backdrop, is a Robert Altman-like telling of three separate stories highlighting characters whose personal problems are of more immediate concern than those on a national level.
The first story introduces us to Ulla, a jazz singer and loving mother who is running late for her daughter's birthday party. 8-year old Sara, who lives with her father but adores her mother, is unable to enjoy the celebration until Mom, who is having a really bad day (she suddenly finds herself homeless), arrives. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Copenhagen, Jens, an inmate in a psychiatric hospital, learns that he's going to be confined for at least another 30 days. Fearful that his girlfriend will dump him during that period, Jens escapes and goes on the run from the police. Finally, there's Michael, a top salesman for ScanPaper computer paper, who decides to please his Italian clients by fixing them up with a pair of call girls who turn out to be something other than what was advertised.
Although everyone in THE EIGHTEENTH is consumed by their personal crises, no one forgets about the vote. With her world on the verge of collapse, Ulla nevertheless makes sure she gets to the polls. Michael, a staunch pro-Unionist (it's good for business) takes time out of his busy schedule. And even though Jens can't vote (his psychiatric problems render him ineligible), he makes it clear that he thinks he has a right to cast a ballot. By depicting the reactions of three very different characters to the political situation, Ronnow-Klarlund illustrates how important the vote was to Denmark's identity.
Ronnow-Klarlund utilizes an unusual visual style to differentiate between the three stories. Ulla and Sara's segments are seen through an amber filter, Jens' episode is in grainy black-and-white, and Michael's scenes display little or no visual enhancement. In the beginning, as THE EIGHTEENTH moves rapidly from one tale to another, the change in style is a helpful aid in keeping all of the characters and situations straight. By the end, however, it has become somewhat repetitive.
As one might reasonably expect, there is some crossing of paths, although the characters don't know each other. One of these incidents is inconsequential, but another changes the direction of two of the stories. Chance brings the characters together, their lives momentarily intersect, then the natural course of events pulls them apart again. In one sense, THE EIGHTEENTH is a meditation about the sometimes-cruel workings of Fate -- how the briefest, most unexpected encounters can have a more lasting impact than long-term relationships. Although THE EIGHTEENTH isn't as powerful as Robert Altman's SHORT CUTS, with which it shares an obvious kinship, it is nevertheless effective in creating believable characters to populate its often-fascinating, thematically- rich narrative.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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