When a movie is well-rounded and plain ol' good, there's really not much to say about it. This is the case with the Danish film Festen a.k.a The Celebration. And even though this film didn't make me audibly laugh, cry or inspire fear, as we had hoped it would, It did spur the inklings of emotion that would earn a nod of approval from any therapist.
With that in mind, let's just say that the plot is brilliant. Here lies the story of a family secret that comes out during a large family gathering. So, as you can imagine, watching the drama play out is quite entertaining.
1) The way this film was shot was fantastic. I particularly like its gritty nature, which is reminiscent of a home video or perhaps like watching through the eyes of child.
2) The characters were well developed, which says a lot since there are about 4 or 5 important ones. Of course the mother's complacency was vomituous, and made me want to throw something at the TV.
3) I really wanted to know what the yellow speech said.
4) I also wished that the letter was less cryptic and more...I don't know, descriptive? I'm just a glutton for gossip.
And just because...
5) The fact that the Nords/Scandinavians/Teutons can speak English so well never ceases to amaze me. Anecdotally, I've never met anyone from this cohort that hasn't been able to switch from their native language to English with fluid ease. Perhaps its because English is a linguistic cousin?
6) In the same vain, Nords/Scandinavians/Teutons love to party, and boy do they know how to make a family reunion exciting.
So there you have it, a solid good movie. And for that I give it an 8.5.
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