classicsoncall This is not the most disturbing film I've ever seen but it ranks right up there, both for the subject matter and the filming style of the cinematographer. I think the point of the jarring jumps and distorted filming angles lends credence to the emotional story of a dysfunctional family coming to terms with events in the past that threaten to bring it down disgracefully. What surprised me was how none of the extended family seemed to be upset by the purported abuse revealed by Christian (Ulrich Thomsen) at his father's sixtieth birthday celebration. You would think some of them would be repulsed, if not by the revelations, then by the sheer insanity of the immediate family in dealing with each other. I mean really, how do you recover from Christian's opening remarks to the gathered guests - "Here's to the man who killed my sister..., a murderer." Talk about being a party pooper.A couple of curiosities in the story. First, Christian's request to his father to select the green or the yellow note. Since it seemed Christian was resolved to deliver the shocking news in any event, my own reaction is that he would have given the same speech either way. Then there was the mysterious posture of the head kitchen chef Kim (Bjarne Henriksen). I felt he was in league with Christian to some extent, but nothing he personally did in the story really bore that out, unless you want to consider his involvement in hiding everyone's keys so they couldn't beat a hasty retreat. To a certain degree, I also thought the waitress staff knew about the Klingenfeldt dirty laundry, and wouldn't be too upset if the truth came out.Aside from the father Helge (Henning Moritzen), the most despicable character here was Christian's brother Michael (Thomas Bo Larsen), who seemed to treat anyone in his orbit with equal disdain and contempt. His forced relations with wife Mette (Helle Dolleris) bordered on violent rape, and in that regard, I had to consider that even if he had been away at college during his father's abusive period with Christian and sister Linda, the suicide victim, his aggression appeared to mask his own abusive past by a father who didn't give much of a damn. It's no wonder that sister Helene (Paprika Steen) gave voice to all of those fears and resentments by stating at one point - "They've always been ghosts in this house."

paul2001sw-1 'Festen' was the first film made under the 'Dogme 95' manifesto, which called on film-makers to abandon trickery and simply record what the actors did in front of the camera. The merits of the manifesto lie less in the fact that such trickery is bad (indeed, there are always new tricks available to the clever artist, and the wholly naturalistic film would be wholly dull), but in that it encouraged directors to think about what they were doing, and not fall back on clichéd short-cuts to induce certain responses in the audience. But a great film is a great film, whatever the rules under which it is made; and 'Festen' reminded me of Robert Altman's 'The Wedding', which begins with a long zoom shot from a static camera, the complete antithesis of the hand-held style that 'Dogme 95' dictates.'Festen' starts as a black comedy, the tale of the re-union of a highly dysfunctional family. But it soon becomes clear there's a reason for this dysfunction, and the story soon becomes truly horrifying, yet utterly convincing in its depiction of how a bully can remain unchallenged. Perhaps the take-home message it that crimes that can never be forgiven can never be acknowledged, either. Although the darkness gradually overwhelms the humour, it's a superbly executed movie, ultimately sympathetic but completely unsentimental, and with an immediacy that is the benefit of the chosen method.

Megan Hutchins I really love this movie. I saw it on cable television a long time ago when I was house sitting and I had no idea who directed it and obviously since it is from Denmark I think or whatever other Nordic or Scandinavian country I certainly would not be able to recognize any of the actors in it.So I'm glad I was able to find it here on IMDb and it didn't take long. Not to say that since I didn't recognize anyone or know about the movie it and they weren't great, it is quite the opposite that is true, I was really amazed by how awesome this movie was.I don't want to spoil it but it is basically a big dinner party with an entire family there to celebrate but instead a terrible family secret is opened up after all these years.A really great story with superb acting that you should not miss, but the subject matter is definitely for mature audiences only so keep the kids away!

Apollyon_1979 I must admit to consuming inordinate amounts of Scotch whilst watching this. The premise of the movie is a bit far-fetched (I mean, statistically, how many father actually molest their children?), but the movie is very well done indeed.From the slightly forced family get-togethers, to the masonic overtones, to the "responsibility" of the toastmaster to see the rituals of the dinner through (how many crimes in history have been justified on the basis of the imagined "responsibility" one holds to one's station!), this movie speaks truths about family, repressed passions, and catastrophically bad decisions.I am not sure what crimes of cinema-making this Dogme 95 is meant to protect us against, but the input it had in this movie is worth all the fuss.Highly recommended.