Pepper Grass There are three protagonists in the story of Copenhagen: William, Effy and the city. There are many city specific romance films dedicated to London, Paris or New York but there is a quaint charm in bicycles and in that regard, Copenhagen-the city of bicycles, fits really well to the narrative. William is an American/Canadian tourist on an adventurous bender across Europe with his best friend Jeremy and his tag along girlfriend, whom William detests. On his to-do list is to deliver a letter from his father to its rightful owner. When left neglected by his best friend who promptly leaves William behind in Copenhagen, the letter gathers importance for him, who is otherwise content being inconsiderate and childish to everyone around him- including Effy, a teenage waitress at the hotel where William has checked in. Unable to read the contents of the letter, William asks Effy for help who commits to tracking the recipient of the letter, William's grandfather. One of the most touching moments in the film is when William learns that he is the grandson of a Nazi corroborator. His father who had abandoned him was also left abandoned by his own father. The familiarity of this desertion is genetic. Seated in a quiet room of a distant relative, there is no one except Effy, a stranger then, who gets William's predicament. Imagine William's state of mind when he finds out that Effy, who has been part of this intimate, shocking discovery and whom William seems to grow fond of, is underage. The rest of the film delves into William's own sense of discipline and morality and Effy's discovery of a childhood she never had. Effy, brilliantly played by Hansen is at moments vulnerable, effervescent, spontaneous, and more perceptive than William, who even in his late twenties seems to behave like a moody, cantankerous, entitled, teenage boy. Her 'resting bitch face' to William's off brand sexist humor is brilliant. The bicycle rides in the film open up vistas of cobbled alleyways, brightly colored apartment blocks, flirtatious and honest banter between the two, and moments of interlude in the story. The second most touching moment of the film is when William takes Effy to a club and in a rush of emotion blurts out that he loves her. Gethin Anthony does a fine job playing a man so overcome with this alien realization that he doesn't know how to mend himself better to express this. This is followed by a childish game of 'shark attack'. Effy returns the sentiments later in the film reclined in William's hotel bed. Her confession is soft, hesitant perhaps, as it's quickly followed by "you told me you loved me already". She tries to seduce William but here is when we see how much William has matured through the course of the film. It is in the same hotel room that he had previously had his one night stands, the same room where he had broken his laptop screen in a fit of rage- unable to decipher his father's letter, the same room where he once lay despondent, staring at the ceiling for clues. The film ends with William at Skagen, point of confluence of the Baltic and North Sea. The metaphor for a perfect relationship- "you look to the left and you look to the right, and both seas are there. And they can meet in the middle, but they never lose themselves in each other. They are always themselves no matter what"- Effy.

rtmacisa I was not surprised to find out that this film was by a new Canadian director, Mark Raso. The film had a Canadian feel to it, which for my experience is simply low on flash and high on sub-context and texture. The city of Copenhagen provides a rich back-drop that immediately sets you a bit off balance where you are not entirely sure what is normal and OK. The story line is fairly simplistic; Obnoxious man-child finally meets the girl that makes him grow-up. However, what is so delicious about this movie is the dance between temptation and morality. The budding relationship between William and Effy is awkward, yet irresistible. Effy, masterfully played by Frederikke Dahl Hansen, is both innocent and desirable. She has the beauty worthy of ancient art work and an incredible sweetness. She is the lure that nurtures the growth of William. He is instantly unlikable, but she forces him to tread lightly. He is immediately draw to her, but is also cautious. While the truth about her is slowly revealed, he tries to create distance and perspective, but the gravity of her attraction is powerful and so they start to revolve around each other. The scenes become like a train wreck in slow motion. The crash has become obvious, but inevitable. So, while we brace for impact, we are also sucked in and can't look away.The delicate part of the dance is that as Effy intensifies her advances, William is maturing. He never seems to pursue her, but seems unable to resist her. He motivation seems more honest. She has abandonment issues and is desperate for someone to love her. So, once she begins to engage with William, she becomes somewhat compelled to gain his acceptance. Because her need is not sexual, but emotional, it is deeper, slower, more constant and intense. The moral dilemma for William is simple, so it allows him to easily disregard all of his previous views of women and become more genuine. The brilliance, is how slowly the relationship progresses. We see her sing to him and watch him defend her. We see him turn a blind eye to a sexual fantasy, just to be with her. So, when they kiss on the dance floor, we are wrapped up in the moment. The back drop of Copenhagen, where the age of consent is only 15, blurs the lines of right and wrong. While a 28 year old kissing a 14 year old is clearly wrong, you can't help but cheer for it.The dance reaches its pinnacle when Effy removes her top in an attempt to become completely sexual, only for William to finally mature into the protector and cover her. The undertone story arcs close off nicely as William visits the place where the two seas meet to demonstrate that he has learned the meaning of true relationships and Effy gained the acceptance of a father figure. The audience comes out of the dance with relief as the movie ends with Effy's head in her mother's lap showing that through all of this, she retailed her innocence.

bopdog First - Frederikke Dahl Hansen was wondrous. Sort of a Danish young Jennifer Lawrence. Magical - great career ahead of her! Gethin Anthony's character was rude, selfish, and very much like a spoiled two year-old throwing his darkest tantrum. My first reaction was - Dude, how could you do such a cliché of Americans? As his acting-out continued I was nagged by a strange sensation - his whole shtick rang false. It was too frenetic, too strained and hyper. Then I looked him up on IMDb and saw that he is not American at all, but in fact English. His character's pal is an English actor too. And the so-called writer/director, Raso, is also not American - he's Canadian.I find these young hipster prima donnas' appropriation of my culture and ethnicity offensive. If they want to be self-obsessed, snotty little narcissists, that's their choice. But they have no right - either artistically or ethically, to be dicks in MY name, as it were. How dare they pretend to be of another culture, only to sabotage and besmirch that culture from their disguise? That's dishonest to say the least. If they have a beef with Americans they should man-up and come right out and say it. Be known for who you are, dudes! They should use their own damn identity to defame the human condition, to befoul our waters. They should not hide by doing it by masquerading their intent and their "bona fides." Actors pretend, yes, but we also expect an authenticity of the artist. These clowns had none.This movie had so many exciting premises that promised a great indie gem. Instead, it misfired on most of them, and the result is rather a mess. Its worst sin, however, was not dropping the ball (that is to be forgiven in a first-time indie director), but rather in the clumsy ugliness of the male characters. More than merely having no redeeming qualities, the males here also gave me the creeps, and left me with a psychic sludge that was a bit painful.THAT was just bad manners on director Mark Raso's part.

Stu Robinson It took me a few days to process the movie Copenhagen, which took home the Director's Choice Award for Best Feature – Drama from the Sedona International Film Festival. The movie held my interest and piqued my curiosity but left me feeling a little dirty.It tells its story from the perspective of 20-something American tourist William. After a buddy trip to Europe is sabotaged by his friend's manipulative girlfriend, he finds himself in the Danish capital alone and angry.There is only one thing on his "to-do" list – find his grandfather, about whom he knows nothing, and deliver a letter from his late father. It's not a done deal, either. All he has is a very old address.Played by British actor Gethin Anthony, William is not looking forward to this errand. For him, the trip always was about getting laid. While he stews in the hotel lobby, he spies a blonde walking outside. The next morning, she winds up being his waitress in the hotel café.Things get messy when she spills coffee on the envelope, blurring the address. He berates her until she says she got a look at the address and remembers it. Suddenly, he needs her help, but it's hard for him to shift gears from nasty to nice.He pays the price, as Effy (20-year-old Copenhagen native Frederikke Dahl Hansen) sends him on a wild goose chase. Later that day, he finds her hanging out near the hotel and confronts her. A bit sheepish, she says she'll take him to the correct address. When they get there, they find not William's grandfather but the man's brother.It's not a happy homecoming. Uncle Peter is hospitable enough but tells William that his grandfather was a terrible man – a Nazi collaborator who was imprisoned after the war and later disappeared. His wife, shunned in Danish society, had emigrated to America with her young son.The uncle gives William some black-and-white photos of his father as a boy. Over the next couple of days, Effy leads William to the places where the photos were taken, snapping pictures of him striking the same poses as his father. Over the course of the visits, we find out that William's father had abandoned his family when William was a boy.The Baby Elephant in the RoomHow does Effy find so much time for William? She describes her hotel job as a sort of internship, part of her school's curriculum. He assumes – or at least tells himself – that she is a college student, yet he doesn't try to bed her instantly as he has every other nubile woman since we met him.Despite her frequent claims that she needs to get home, she never actually goes. One starts to get a creepy feeling. Is she hiding from a hellish home life? Does she even have a home? (She never seems to change clothes.) She does make a vaguely negative reference to her mother's boyfriend; is he forcing himself on her or pimping her out?Eventually, she reveals that she's only 14 years old. That's when things get really creepy, because by this time moviegoers are invested in their developing relationship.Confronting RealityAround this time, the voice of reason arrives when William's erstwhile travel buddy, Jeremy (Sebastian Armesto), returns to Copenhagen, having been dumped by the girlfriend in London. The attention Effy gives to Jeremy makes William jealous, leading to an argument during which Jeremy learns the truth about Effy and calls them out.To William: "Nobody likes you. You connect with teenagers."To Effy: "He's that stranger you're not supposed to talk to."When the men start to scuffle, Effy flees. Jeremy storms off, leaving William alone once again.After a couple of pathetic conversations with Effy's voicemail, William heads out to a nightclub, where the film takes on a shadowy, race-against-the-night quality. He's about to score a threesome with two American girls – a home run for pre-Copenhagen William – when Effy turns up, having finally listened to his messages. He walks away from the Americans to focus on Effy. Is this a sign of progress for William?Some of the club staff greet Effy with familiarity, raising more questions about her lifestyle now that we know her age. Another man at the bar recognizes her and drags her out. William pursues and forces the man to let her go. As they flee, Effy tells William it was her mother's boyfriend.A brief stop at Effy's home to get her laptop reveals little, though the darkened apartment certainly doesn't convey a happy home life. Effy's mom emerges when her boyfriend arrives, but they are too focused on each other to notice Effy and William sneaking out.By this point, William and Effy have admitted their romantic feelings for each other. Back in his hotel room, they begin to act on their hormones.With a normal movie romance, the audience usually roots for the couple to … couple. But given the characters' ages, we are left to squirm as they start disrobing. Will they ignore the elephant in the room and consummate their fantasy relationship? Or will William acknowledge that, as the movie's website puts it: "When the girl of your dreams is half your age, it's time to grow up."There are two epilogues to Copenhagen, both of which take place in the light of day. William makes a final effort to locate his grandfather and learn why the males in his family are so screwed up. We see Effy, looking and behaving very much like a teenager, waiting in class to present a report including photos she took of William – and curling up with her mother on a couch at home.