Reconstruction (2003)

76% of critics liked it
(37 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(4,928 ratings)

Danish filmmaker Christoffer Boe makes his feature debut with the psychological romantic drama Reconstruction. Set in Copenhagen during a 24-hour period, narrator August (Krister Henriksson) works on his novel while his wife, Aimee (Maria Bonnevie), has a one-night stand with photographer Alex… More Danish filmmaker Christoffer Boe makes his feature debut with the psychological romantic drama Reconstruction. Set in Copenhagen during a 24-hour period, narrator August (Krister Henriksson) works on his novel while his wife, Aimee (Maria Bonnevie), has a one-night stand with photographer Alex (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). The next morning, Alex appears to have lost touch with his surroundings as his friends, family, and girlfriend Simone (also played by Bonnevie) treat him like a stranger. Reconstruction won the Camera d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Christoffer Boe
Written By: Christoffer Boe, Mogens Rukov
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International

In Theaters: Sep 17, 2004 Limited
On DVD: Apr 12, 2005
Studio: Palm Pictures

Critic Reviews

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Boe's notion of cinema as a glamorous art is apparent, but his sense of narrative mystery tends to err on the side of pretentiousness.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Boe can be forgiven for occasionally bringing Reconstruction ... to the brink of pretension. It's his first full- length feature, and this is the mark of a novice. He makes up for it with a natural's gift for storytelling and eye for casting.
Bob Longino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is Boe's first full-length film, but he already works the art form like a master. He proves he understands love lost and the hungry yearning burning inside love found.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
It manages to engage you on the literal -- the immediate story, that is -- and the abstract.
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News
Reconstruction works more resonantly as a cerebral exercise than an emotional voyage.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Ultimately, the narrative becomes too hypothetical for its good, but it succeeds in holding one's attention with its romantic intensity and sheer old-fashioned glamour.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Even The New York Times crossword puzzle can be solved, which isn't something most viewers will be able to say about this film, which isn't as provocative as it tries to be.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
A puzzle of a movie somewhere between David Lynch and M. Night Shyamalan
Stina Chyn, Film Threat
Toys with our feelings just enough to make us aware of ourselves but sufficiently refrains from manipulation- overload.
Matthew Leyland, BBC
Stylish, complex and challenging, Reconstruction is a noir romance that teases the mind but leaves the emotions untouched.
Laura Kelly, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A film with some heft to it, even if it is a bit self-indulgent.
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
Like love itself, Reconstruction works on an irrational, off-kilter plane, filled with elation, regret and elusive second chances.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
Emblematic of a new sort of filmic collage in which artificial construction is as much a featured part of the point as a means to an end.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
Starts out a little like a perfume commercial - the close-ups of beautiful people and the meaningful whispers, but it quickly turns into something much more intriguing.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

For a movie I knew nothing about and had no interest in seeing, this was fantastic! This was quite an unusual film, I didn't really "get" it until 10 minutes to the end, but I guess the clue was in the title all along! What seemed to be a simple story about a couple… More
For a movie I knew nothing about and had no interest in seeing, this was fantastic! This was quite an unusual film, I didn't really "get" it until 10 minutes to the end, but I guess the clue was in the title all along! What seemed to be a simple story about a couple who meet and experience "love at first sight", though one is married, and one has a partner already, soon takes a surreal twist, and I honestly didn't know what was going on for a while there. I loved the filming and the "arty" way this was put together, cast were great. One of the best foreign films I have seen in some time.
Antony S

Rather decent off-kilter relationship drama. Nikolaj Lie Kaas plays a young man who thought himself to already be in a relationship unexpectedly finds himself in a literary affair. His reality is distorted soemwhat, to what degree we learn with him, as friends and even family seem to… More
Rather decent off-kilter relationship drama. Nikolaj Lie Kaas plays a young man who thought himself to already be in a relationship unexpectedly finds himself in a literary affair. His reality is distorted soemwhat, to what degree we learn with him, as friends and even family seem to treat him as a stranger. The film evidently takes a few cues from David Lynch, in its familiar-yet-not reality check, and the music and performances are highly worthwhile. I was particularly taken with the picture's approach of sensual obsession having more of an emotional impact than common rationality, making for an intoxicating experience.
Mark A

Wow! Incredible. Surreal. Bizarre. Bewildering. Terrifying. Enigmatic. Exquisite. Beautiful. Mysterious. Sensual. Romantic. Sad. Someone else will have to explain what it all means. This viewer was entranced, but completely unable to explain it. Puts one in mind of "Sliding… More
Wow! Incredible. Surreal. Bizarre. Bewildering. Terrifying. Enigmatic. Exquisite. Beautiful. Mysterious. Sensual. Romantic. Sad. Someone else will have to explain what it all means. This viewer was entranced, but completely unable to explain it. Puts one in mind of "Sliding Doors", crossed with "Stranger Than Fiction" and a little dash of "Memento" thrown in for good measure. An author, August (Krister Henriksson), takes his wife to a promotional book tour event. While in this other city, she does, or does not, have a brief affair with a young photographer, Alex (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). The photographer's life is turned inside out and everything he thought he knew has come unraveled. Is this what really happened, or is this the material for the author's next book? Nothing is explained and the retelling is non-linear, adding to the difficulty in sorting it all out. An incredible piece of film making. Excellent casting with Maria Bonnevie pulling double duty as Simone, the photographer's girlfriend, and the author's wife, Aimee. Masterful direction, artistic camera work, solid editing and a beautifully haunting, minimalist score. The result is simply mesmerizing. Just don't expect to be able to wrap your head around it on a single viewing. One feels one will arrive at a different conclusion each time one watches it. It's that good.
Dimitris S

Fragrant stimulation.A top notch film of 2004,a great film production,a charming gem of reflecting views and the magic of cinema inside out.Where the truth lies,the darkness' consequence dies.