Mellow-Fellow I was very pleasantly surprised with this movie. It is filmed in such a unique way that it feels almost as if you are a part of the show, a spectator following a group of fatefully connected individuals on a small but very important part of their lives.The movie explores each unique character and relationship independently and offers us a good perspective on the relevant situations they find themselves in. A little more character development for the smaller roles, back story and information about how things came to be, and what will be in the end would have been nice for me, and could have been added while subtracting from some of the less meaningful scenes. This is the Dogme 95 style of film, and is my first introduction to the type. It makes for a more personal realistic style of film making but it seems clear why the style has been formally abandoned.This was an excellent film. It is entirely dialogue driven, so know what you are getting into and you are sure to enjoy this film. I think all of us can relate in some way or another to one of the main characters in this movie.

random_avenger In a small Danish town six lonely people are brought together by a beginners' course of Italian language: Andreas (Anders W. Berthelsen) is a recently graduated minister who moves in the town to temporarily replace the erratically behaving previous minister; Finn (Lars Kaalund) works in a restaurant with an Italian woman named Giulia (Sara Indrio Jensen); Jørgen Mortensen (Peter Gantzler) is a quiet hotel clerk and Karen and Olympia (Ann Eleonora Jørgensen and Anette Støvelbæk) work as a barber-hairdresser and a bakery worker respectively. Despite initial setbacks on the course, the group eventually learns to approach each other, and relationships of different kinds are formed.The Dogme influence is most notably evident in the use of hand-held cameras and natural lighting, but over all Italian for Beginners is much softer and accessible in tone than the other films of the Dogme school that I've seen. A major theme is overcoming feelings of insecurity, as all of the characters have their own reasons to keep other people at arm's length at first. In the case of Karen and Olympia it is a difficult relationship to a parent, but for example Finn tends to hide his real feelings under tough and rash behaviour. All of the main characters feel rather polished and even exaggerated at first, but as the movie's empathic style becomes more obvious, the way of presenting their personalities becomes more understandable and very sympathetic.At the end of the day, Italian for Beginners belongs among the better romantic dramas I've seen. The actors fit in their roles well, especially Lars Kaalund as the aggressive Finn and Peter Gantzler as the humble and mild-mannered Jørgen. The quiet, oppressed women Karen and Olympia are also excellently portrayed by Jørgensen and Støvelbæk. Even though the sparse Dogme stylization initially creates a bleak and discomforting atmosphere, the dark aura soon makes way for a down-to-earth feel-good movie that concerns itself with realism on technical aspects only, not so much plotwise. As a result, I would recommend the film to any drama fan who likes a change from the bright world of many traditional screen romances.

clevelandrachel Italian for Beginners is a superbly directed film in the stylistic tradition of Dogma 95 productions; an anonymous director, the on location sets, and the natural acting create a bare cinematography where the story begins in the very routine lives of six individuals from a small town in Denmark, whose lives intersect at church, in the restaurant, at the hotel and in school. The film quietly plucks these characters off the streets- out of their disparaged mundane environments- into a classroom in hopes of learning something new.Love begins in a neglected classroom, where the couples gather to learn Italian and experience a hope of something greater than their own misfortune. The comical harshness of the over-zealous Finn as their instructor foreshadow their determination to find something from these lessons as they repeat lines together about love and how to be in love. Finally the streets of Venice offer a rich reward for the couples who now have the opportunity to practice what they've learned. A low-lit restaurant in Venice offers new beginnings for the couples that share a very common meal but with a new hope for their lives together. The mundane, disparate, somber tone of the dogma is lifted into a beautiful cannon of what love can be.

prenumerera Usually i can't stand romance movies, they always tend to exaggerate everything about love and relationships in a way that i just plain stupid. But this movie manages to keep a nice pace and great cinematography. The movie built up my expectations for every minute and manages to fulfill them, and this is just incredible.This is the best danish film i have seen since Festen (The Celebration), i have seen a lot of danish movies but "Festen" and "Italiensk for begyndere" stand out in a remarkable way.If you liked this movie a would like to recommend movies from from Swedish director Lukas Moodysson, movies like "Fucking Åmal" and "Tillsammans" for example.