No. 61 (2023) COPENHAGEN DOES NOT EXIST; Palace Aust. Scandinavian Film Festival August 9th.

 

Film No. 61  (2023)  August 9th.  11:00 AM  LUNA LEEDERVILLE,  Cine 3, Leederville.

 

"Was it your idea? To just disappear!" (Porath, Ida's father, continues his interrogation of Sander. He seeks to find out the whereabouts of his daughter).

WINNER: (Jacob Moller) Best Cinematography; Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award. NOMINEE: (Martin Skovbjerg) Best Nordic Film; Dragon Awards.

This heart breaking love story has affected me well beyond the brilliant final shot. Martin Skovbjerg, in directing only his second feature, has created an atmosphere so complicatedly heartfelt, we know there can only be one outcome. He rivets us to his story, then poses questions about mental illness, family and loneliness as we sit there, emotionally drained. I was so reminded of the brilliant SOMERSAULT 2004, a small Australian film by Cate Shortland that broke my heart 20 years ago.

Ida (Angela Bundalovic) and Sander (Jonas Holst Schmidt) are loners in life, but each are trapped as islands for different reasons. Ida has a wealthy family looking out for her, Sander, next to no emotional connections. Ida has ambition and is highly intelligent but her eating disorder is having both physical and mental repercussion's. Sander is an unambitious, likeable slacker, rudderless on his course in life. So when they meet, like ships in the night, the ensuing devotion to one another is all consuming. The prospect of long term compatibility themes are never confronted. The story of their meeting then the relationship is all told in flashback, mainly through the words and imagination of Sander. 

Why flashback, I hear you ask? Well the initial scenes establish the fact Ida has gone missing. Porath, her father and Viktor her brother want answers and Sander is their only hope. Porath's wealth allows for an apartment space in the city to become a holding house for Sander. These scenes are never threatening despite these descriptions, but Sander is going nowhere.  Through Porath and Viktor's interviews, discussions, we learn about the relationship between Ida and Sander, our modern day Romeo and Juliette.

So as this puzzle called KOBENHAVN FINDES IKKE unfolds, sometimes as a low key thriller, puzzle pieces are placed on screen, scene by scene which answer so many questions first set up by the opening stanza. We are taken on a random tour of a vacant, high ceilinged apartment. Bare and soulless. And then comes a rich love story so brilliantly crafted I'm not sure warnings about some of the themes shouldn't precede the opening titles! This is innovative, cinematic story-telling.  11GUMS.