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Plot:
It's summertime in Denmark, and at the Great House a celebration is about to begin: Helge Klingenfeldt, patriarch and lord of the manor, is turning sixty. Invitations have been issued, the seating pla...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:September 2, 2008
Dogme95 is a film-making movement initially drafted by Thomas Vintenberg and Lars von Trier, in opposition of the Hollywood enchantment with special effects and expensive sets. They drew out a manifesto and took the vow of chastity, resolving to make films as per the rules of the Dogme. Some of the more prominent rules were to shoot on location using a hand-held camera, abandon props, lighting and sets and make the whole movie in present time.
Though von Trier's Breaking the Waves was heavily influenced by the idea behind this manifesto, that movie was not a strictly Dogme movie. Festen was the first movie to follow the movement, though I suppose even this deviated from the rule of giving no directorial credits.
The Dogme rule appear very stringent at first, almost unnecessarily ascetic . It is only on watching the movie that one can appreciate how connected you feel when the peripheral effects and cleverness of filming is removed from the narrative and you can focus on the performances and the story.
Of course, the plot of the film is quite appropriate for a Dogme film and lends itself excellently to filming with a hand-held camera. It is a variation on the much-used theme of a happy family union becoming explosive and ugly. With the slightly awkward and shaky camera shoot, it feels like watching a home video of a birthday party. At some times you feel that you are the ignored guest on the show (like Harry in Dumbledore's pensieve) doing the shooting yourself.
The reunion is slightly tainted from the start, with the recent suicide of a daughter. It gets uglier when the elder son Christian makes a drastic accusation at his father. The fact that the most dramatic moment of the movie is so undramatic is what instantly made the movie so lovable. Hardly anyone in the party reacted at all to the speech. In a minute they went back to their festivities and chatter. Confused with the reaction, I had to replay the scene to make sure I had heard it right.
The movie is about exposing a dysfunctional family, but it also expresses the tenuous connections of families and the dilemma of hating your dear ones. When the film begins, Christian and his father still seem to share an affection despite what Christian knows he is going to say. Throughout the movie, passionate reactions and denials spurt out of the family, to protect their own despite their repugnance. The wife continues to shield her husband with generous claims of love and happiness - it is very hard to understand her stance and as Christian puts it - her hypocrisy is disgusting. But for someone who has accepted an ugly truth, it also seemed like the only way to react - to continue that acceptance.
Christian's character is singularly impressive. His dilemma and discomfort with the confrontation is plainly evident. Ulrich Thomsen is a brilliant actor, and his intensity shines through even the dull print and a simplistic hand-held camera.
I have come across wide criticism of the movie, which is more the criticism for sincerity of the Dogme95. I do think that it is overly dramatic to lay down a manifesto with drastic rules and take a vow of chastity, if all you want to make films without external hogwash. Also, it can be argued that the extensive editing done post-shooting is an artificial step too. However, the manifesto is only background information. There are different ways of making a movie and the technique used in Festen serves its theme and purpose well, making it a very compelling movie. -
MCT:August 31, 2008
A time bomb to cinema. Dogma 95's first movie is a great one, with good writing and performances all around, but it is the great style and directing which takes it miles apart from most of other movies. Bending of Dogma rules in a creative way did a lot of good for cinema, and for this movie.
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MCT:August 14, 2008
A great great great Dogma 95 black comedy. It's really shocking and that's mostly why I love it so much. I like to watch a film and feel different after it. If I only feel blank, then it's a miss. Festen is a hit!
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MCT:June 21, 2008
Un père prônant l'union familiale comme principale valeur convoque toute sa famille dans sa villa pour l'occasion de son 60ème anniversaire. Toutefois, au cours de ce fameux souper seront révélées des vérités enfouies depuis bien des années...
Un scénario bien banal, mais qui a vite su m'intriguer dès le départ. J'ai d'ailleurs tout fait pour me procurer ce fameux film, d'ailleurs réalisé par un réalisateur qui m'avait subjugué par Dear Wendy. Il ne faut pas s'y méprendre, Festen est un film bien différent.
Vinterberg aime bien tisser des toiles. Le film commence lentement, mais sûrement, et on se croirait presque dans une comédie. Toutefois, on sent que le moment fatidique approche, que la révélation se refermera sur nous. Ce que je me demandais avant cette fameuse écoute, c'est si vraiment cette fameuse révélation allait me surprendre autant que je m'y attendais.
J'ai passé une bonne partie du film à faire des spéculations sur cette fameuse révélation, question de me décevoir à l'avance. Toutefois, je me suis laissé méprendre et l'élément déclencheur m'a sacrément surpris.
C'est vraiment une histoire douloureuse, qui vous procure des frissons de haine tellement vous avez l'impression qu'elle est impossible. -
MCT:May 8, 2008
An incredible Dogma Film! This is real Cinema at it's most honest and cruelest. It's categorized as part of the Dogma movement that was started in 1995 by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg with the signing of the Dogme 95 Manifesto and the VOW OF CHASTITY (Recommend to look into for true cinema lovers) which state rules like, only hand held, no bringing props onto the set, no use of special lighting, no sounds added and no post-production. The emphasis on purity forces the filmmakers to focus on the actual story and on the actors' performances. Amaizing enough, in some scenes the actors held the camera for their own shots. "Celebration"(Festen) throws us into the world of the Klingenfeldt family as they celebrate their fathers 60th birthday party, when some unpleasant family truths are revealed the family is split and all hell breaks loose . Done so well by diretor and writer Thomas Vinterberg. This is a must see for admirers of ALL- Film era's and how a movie doesn't need eye candy and special effects, just a great story.
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MCT:April 11, 2008
DARK. but great film. the story involves sexual abuse, xenophelia, suicide, oh and a bunch of Danes getting super drunk at a family gathering. worth seeing.
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MCT:January 7, 2008
Thomas Vinterberg?s Festen is the first Dogma 95 film. In short, Dogma 95 is an avant-gardiste filmmaking movement against expensive Hollywood budgets. In this case, the movie has to be shot in one location, without any post-production modifications. The manifesto has been co-signed by Vinterberg himself and director Lars von Trier. In fact, they never respected the Dogma 95. Even in Festen, Vinterberg(he admitted it) covered a bothering window in one scene.
In fact, movies adhering to the movement look like a play. Cause it is in one location(limited space), there is no modification of the sound in post-prod, etc. Festen takes place in a hotel, owned by an old man, Helge. His wife, children, friends and the rest of his family are invited to the celebration of his sixtieth birthday. The birthday dinner is going very well until the eldest son, Christian, makes a speech and reveals to everyone in the place the compromising truth about his father.
Taking place in a family-run hotel, Festen is very linear and simple. Most of the scenes are shot inside the hotel, particuliarly in the dining room. Festen contains great shots and stunning performances by the entire cast. Festen starts slowly, but when the first revelation comes, the viewer can?t get his eye off the screen, knowing that more is to come. The characters reactions are surprisingly very realist, which is increasing the tension between them. What is absolutely remarkable is that we believe the story. Vinterberg did it so well that we believe what he is showing to us. -
MCT:November 20, 2007
This is a movie every teacher in Denmark wants you to analyze and interpret. I've done it twice with different teachers. But it's a great movie.. One of the best out of the Dogme-clan
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MCT:November 14, 2007
The celebration is a straight, realistic, and intense involvement in the lives of several family members as they gather to celebrate their father's 60th birthday. Shot in the faux-documentary style, the film pulls it off with the kind of skill you'd expect to see in the over-used style now. The style is fine, but the choice to use lower grade DV cameras becomes distracting at points, as the resolution and quality degrades at points that could've been much more brilliantly gorgeous. The effective immersion in the story is what carries this movie... it's sinister, darkly hilarious, puzzling, and moving all the way through, and it's all pulled off wonderfully by the different actors in their respective family positions. The movie is generally believable, with a bit of bewilderment at the callousnes of their brother Michael, but you never want to get off the ride. The ending delivers in every way I could've wanted it to. The Celebration is simply a fantastic flim.
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MCT:November 4, 2007If anyone knows anything about Dogme 95, then you already know that this was the first of that cinematic movement but when you set out with specific rules and then break most of them, thats not a good start in my opinion. I thought it was generally boring due to the lack of action but the storyline deals with a very controversial issue.
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MCT:October 12, 2007Classy, original, unexpected twist in tale, darkly comic drama. A film hollywood could not do in a million years.
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MCT:September 11, 2007
agh. now this is the kind of movie that's too hard to review. there's too many aspects that need to be addressed.
the style, for one. it's taken with a hand held camera which not every movie taken in such style would be as good as this.
the cast. that good I was almost see them as a one real family facing their very own real problem.
the story. realistically plotted in such a great detail. a family that was being faced with an as dark secret as any family could ever possibly has, which simply couldn't pick any better time to be revealed but on the birthday celebration of the father. -
MCT:September 4, 2007
A shocking family drama about secrets denial, truth and acceptance. Shot in a sort of home video way that gives the film an edgy and immediate feel. The cast is amazing and they give all they've got.
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MCT:August 24, 2007
A brilliant story, the camera work, of course must be mentioned, but this kind of camera work and this kind of story, in fact, don't look at the subtitles or don't even turn it on, it'll be so difficult to watch, it doesn't matter that even by the images you can't tell what the big problem is, because you know something is going on. This is Dogme #1, the second I watch, the first was Dogme #2. It was really exciting for me and I have to say, I love the style of Vinterberg, tight story that boils out of the screen, innovative camera methods, well-cut, good enjoyable scenes, well developed plot. This film is perfect, to take drama and bring it at this level is pure artwork, innovative and brilliant.
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MCT:July 19, 2007
It's Little Miss Sunshine, but done right. The story of a staggeringly dysfunctional Danish family that comes together to celebrate the 60th birthday of their abusive patriarch. Stunningly acted and utterly mesmerizing, despite having been shot with a consumer-grade video camera. You won't soon forget this.
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MCT:July 14, 2007
dogma film. completly brillant family drama and thats it all filmed dogma style makes it even more cleverer to watch
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MCT:July 2, 2007
The play was amazing, and so was the movie. Oh wow, we were both just spellbound the whole time. All the reviews I read of it said that most Danes agree it's the best Danish film ever made, and since my Danish cinematic frame of reference doesn't extend past this movie, I guess I can't say anything to the contrary. But yeah, it's fascinating. Go rent it -- the English title is The Celebration. Katie and I both agreed that we liked the play better, but that's probably because it's such fond memories of London...
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MCT:June 18, 2007
The first Dogma film arrived with a massive blow to Hollywood. Brilliant writing and strong performances. The Danes proved that you don't need 100 million to make a good film.
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MCT:June 17, 2007
Festa de Família, de Thomas Vinterberg é o melhor filme feito com base no Dogma 95, elaborado por ele mesmo e por Lars von Trier. Utiliza muita câmera na mão, iluminação natural, sem música, dentre outras coisas que pregava o Dogma 95. O filme é um verdadeiro paradoxo do cinema, pois apesar de apresentar tamanha rusticidade, ele é, ao mesmo tempo, absurdamente belo. Só por isso já vale a pena assistir a obra.
Mas, além disso, o roteiro com sua crítica, muito bem construída, a burguesia fútil, vivendo em seus palacetes modernos é um show a parte. Toda a precariedade de equipamentos, embutida na ideologia do Dogma 95, é compensada com uma bela trama dramática, a qual apresenta profundidade e nos leva a refletir sobre os assuntos em questão. Por melhor dizer, não há compensações da rusticidade nesse filme, mas a precariedade dá a perfeita combinação que Vinterberg precisava criar para a linguagem mais apropriada a sua história.
Festa de Família é uma verdadeira lição de como o cinema é, em suma, ter uma boa história para contar. Não se trata de relegar os outros estilos de cinema, mas na ficção ter um bom argumento faz a diferença. Quando se tem o conteúdo o contexto é muito mais simples de se criar. -
MCT:May 30, 2007
the first dogme film made, and what a film. it's not easy viewing at times as it digs very deep into the dark secrets of a danish family as well as dealing with some of the cultural ways of the middle class. its utterly compelling tho and has a very satisfying ending.
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MCT:May 25, 2007
This gut-wrenching Dogme film has very well developed characters and an A+ direction. It is very strong and it doesn't weaken while the story happens.
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MCT:May 16, 2007
When you see it the first time it may be very shocking, so BE WARNED! But I've seen this movie a hundred times and still I'm enjoying every minute of it. In my opinion the best Danish movie ever made, and that is a surprise since it is not directed by the insane genius Lars von Trier, although it is part of von Trier's Dogme series! Thomas Vinterberg did a fabulous job! The entire cast in fact! Endlessly brilliant!!!
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GoodPossumposted 192 days ago
