Frygtelig lykkelig (2008)

Director:

Henrik Ruben Genz

Writers:

Henrik Ruben Genz (screenplay)
Dunja Gry Jensen (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 October 2008 (Czech Republic)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A thriller about a Copenhagen cop who moves to a small town after having a nervous breakdown. |

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Fish Out Of Water | Murder Mystery | Getting Away With Murder | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

19 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jakob Cedergren	...	Robert Hansen
Lene Maria Christensen	...	Ingerlise Buhl
Kim Bodnia	...	Jørgen Buhl
Lars Brygmann	...	Dr. Zerleng
Anders Hove	...	Købmand Moos
Jens Jørn Spottag	...	Politimester
Henrik Lykkegaard	...	Præst
Bodil Jørgensen	...	Bartender
Peter Hesse Overgaard	...	Helmuth
Niels Skousen	...	Hansi
Lars Lunøe	...	Nissum
Sune Q. Geertsen	...	'Øko' Tage (as Sune Geertsen)
Mathilde Maack	...	Dorthe
Ahn Le	...	Fru Købmand Moos
Taina Anneli R. Berg	...	Lone 'TP' (as Taina Anneli Berg)

Also Known As:

Terribly Happy (International: English title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Czech Republic:12 | Argentina:13 | Norway:15 | Netherlands:16

Company:

Fine & Mellow Productions

Trivia:

Denmark's official submission to the 82nd Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language Film Award in 2010.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Deadline: (2008-10-22)" (2008/II)

How you gonna keep a boy on the bog…

This was one of my top 5 films at the 33rd Cleveland International Film Festival.

In the introductory narrative we are told that "all the events are true". A short story is told of how a cow was stuck in the bog, dug out 6 months later and gave birth to a two-headed calf (one human, one bovine). This sad animal causes distress to the town and is put back into the bog.

Well. We may not know where this is going, but it's sure to be interesting.

Robert (Jakob Cedergren) has a troubled past in Copenhagen and is re-assigned to a remote Danish town, where he is quickly embroiled in its odd business. Does Jorgen (Kim Bodnia), the local force to be reckoned with, actually beat his wife Ingerlise (Lene Maria Christensen)? Is that why their daughter takes her dolly for a walk in the evening, with the squeaky wheel heard by all in the village? Why is the bicycle shop deserted, but the music blaring?

And what is in the bog?

The theme of the small town that runs by its own rules is well presented here. No one wants to get the "big city" involved. Abuse is known but ignored. The Marshall fits in in that everyone seems to have a secret in this town. A twisted ethic exists in just what needs to be done, whether the Marshall is supposed to punch out a pre-teen shoplifter (if he doesn't, Dad Jorgen will), you are supposed to say "mohn" instead of the usual Danish word for hello, the doctor supplies narcotics to the hairdresser/call-girl, and your clothes need to be put on the line to dry in a just-so order. And what do you do about the abused wife, who may just be playing her version of crazy with the newest Marshall?

The various plot twists, the machinations of the local card-playing cabal looking for a new fourth, the (lovely) cat who says "mohn": all provide fit companions to the Bog. The Bog is metaphor here as a place where secrets reside, the past sometimes remains hidden and the future lies in wait. The bog is as much a character as the townspeople and the townspeople are the bog.

The film alternates between disquieting views of the flat fields and frenetic twists (big and small) in the plot. I could not imagine a single scene being left out. Lovely and tense, this Euro-Noir film is well acted and well filmed; a good bet for those who like quirky and creepy.