camiharrier Recently I watched the marvelous film, Applause. I felt this was a simple film, but with incredibly deep characters. Even though it was in full-color, the image looked like black and white with a number of smoky images in the bar scenes and the cloudy Danish weather. I liked the way the soundtrack was used, as it was really minimal and didn't distract me from the actor's performances. You don't see a lot of US movies like this one - to me it was fresh and I realized how much I missed watching European films. The movie looked deep into Paprika Steen's character (Thea) of a mother, ex-wife, and actress. I enjoyed how Paprika acted the two sides of herself, a mother's sweet love for her children and her madness. I really thought about idea of marriage and having children because people always change over time depending on their situation and the environment that they live in. Thea's character was powerful, dynamic and so realistic.

llarusso Paprika Steen gives an amazing performance as a successful actress (Thea Barfoed ) who is trying to put her demons behind her and get back her children. As the movie unfolds and Thea's personality is revealed, we can see the conflicts and problems that led to her losing her children in the first place. I really liked how the movie cleverly uses a real stage play that Thea is starring in, as a comment on her life and personality. Her time on stage and backstage as the star is interwoven and contrasted with her encounters with her children and "real life". And I was really impressed with Paprika Steen in the lead role. I cannot say I found the character of Thea entirely sympathetic but I could not look away. I was mesmerized by the moving portrait of this very flawed but magnetic personality trying to deal with her own failings. Ms. Steen's performance is not to be missed.

mv_310 Having seen a number of leading female bravura performances this past year, I thought I had sealed shut my choices for best actress. I then had the pleasure of seeing the independent Danish film, 'Applause,' and Steen, without hesitation, became my favorite performance of the year (even vis-a-vis Portman as the fragile yet delusional Nina in 'Black Swan').Although, on its face, the storyline may come across as another hackneyed portrayal of a melodramatic woman coping with alcoholism, Steen's performance brings forth such a raw and entrancing glimpse into the mind of Thea that you can't help but also feel her frustration and helplessness. Nevertheless, even though you see Thea at her lowest, you can still sense some maternal substance in her, which offers levity to an otherwise bleak ending.An absolute tour de force performance that is a must-see!

offdwallnotdrack I loved this film. Is the plot unique? No. Is the cinematography revolutionary? No. Is the portrayal of this mid-aged recovering alcoholic actress executed well? YES.The previous reviewer mentioned something along the lines of how the hand-held shaky cam was just a copy cat gimmick of older indie films and how this is just another drab danish film to do the exact same crap yet again. Tell you the truth, that sounds like the rantings of an A-list film snob.Granted that the hand-held method, 3D, CGI, and dozens of other cinematography related methods are very frequently used purely just as gimmicks and very often don't add anything to the actual film, it still is a legitimate tool for cinematographers to use, and can be used to support the nature of the film. I think we're bombarded with these gimmicks so often, and so often get nothing out of it, that many people just start associated that visual tool with being distracting and pointless, even if used properly.Also, I think there was a mention about Michael Falch, and how this Comedian turned serious actor wasn't any good because he was trying too hard and overacting, and to be fair, I think that observation was due to a preconceived notion about the actor because the reviewer was familiar with him. I never heard of Michael Falch and have no idea who he is (before the film at least) and thought nothing of the acting in a negative way. I would've never guessed that he was a comedian. He was very good in the film and very convincing and obviously a natural born actor.Anyways, back to the film. Like the title says, this is a slice of life sorta movie. It is not a mapped out plot that goes from point A to point B, but rather the Director just lets us into this woman's life and gives us permission to observe her most intimate and personal moments. Thanks to the amazing (Merryl Streep Level) acting of Paprika Steen, this observation is fascinating, and it's so convincing, that you often feel very uncomfortable and filled with anxiety because like in real life, when we are faced with adversity, we often struggle to find a path to walk on, and we often do things that surprise even ourselves, and find ourselves in situations that we never planned on being in, and suddenly realize we have no idea how to escape. You just can't help but relate to the situations in this real-life reconstruction. This is only supported by the hand-held cinematography.The truth is, almost every story out there has been told at least 100 times in some form or another, but how many of those attempts are successful? Maybe 1 or 2? Sometimes never. We see so many crap movies about recovering alcoholics and people battling with their inner demons/children/careers that it's just not interesting to see anymore, so that's why we need 200 million dollars movies just to catch our eye and hold our attention. With it's simple formula, Applaus does what the majority of films out there cannot, and that is holding your attention firmly. It doesn't do this with big bells and whistles, but with a very careful and caring attention to detail that keeps you in a constant state of uneasiness that dips and rises from sadness, to suspense to moments of simple joy throughout the entire runtime.If for nothing else, see this film for the amazing and refreshing acting of Paprika Steen who is actually being nominated for Best Actress I believe.