READ THE REVIEW AT The Desert Sun.
Extended version:
Danish director Peter Schønau Fog has accomplished a great feat. He has taken a tragic film about depression and molestation and infused freshness and humor.
The Art of Crying is based on Erling Jepsen's novel about a rural South Jutland family in 1971. Their home life could not be worse, but youngest son Allan does not comprehend what surrounds him. However, when older brother Asger comes home from college, he is resentful of Asger's escape.
The family falls into an exhausting routine. To sum up the good days, Allan states, "When dad is happy, he forgets to kill himself." The bad days are something else. Father Henry argues with his wife regarding what a lousy person he is while threatening to end his life, and when she tires of this game Allan tries to cheer him up. As a last but all too common resort, Allan sends his 14-year-old sister downstairs to comfort their father, completely unaware of what that entails.
The story is narrated by Allan though his viewpoint is blurred. With the constant attention his dad requires to contain his depression, Allan guards him like a bulldog. He is young enough to
still be naïve, but on the brink of realizing all is not well. Jannik Lorenzen makes his film premiere in the role, and captures the character with a fierce rawness, shedding any possibility for pity.
Allan wishes harm on anybody who belittles his father, and surprisingly, this is where the humor is inserted. He discovers that his father gains confidence while delivering a eulogy and causing everyone else to cry for a change. Therefore, Allan surmises, his father's happiness must come from the death of others.
As he wishes his dad's grocery competitor ill and slides too many pills towards his ailing aunt, there is humor in his efforts. Sadly, he does not realize the irony of killing for a man who always
threatens to kill himself. But Allan has only ever known one purpose in life, and that is to ensure that his father lives to see the next day.
Allan's sister Sanne is portrayed by another first-time film actor, and Julie Kolbech superbly captures the young girl at the state when reason is edging its way into habit. Struggling to break free and enjoy life, every new experience is shattered by her jealous father. Each sibling is in a different stage of comprehension and thus coping while their mother watches in resignation. Jesper Asholt portrays Henry as an exposed nerve. He is not evil – he thinks his actions are
performed out of love, but they are the wrong actions and he clearly needs help.
Fog raises concern for a dreadful situation while allowing the film to be quite watchable. As protective as Allan is of his father, the viewer becomes protective of the little boy, hoping that he will realize some habits are meant to be broken.
Foto: Kristian Sæderup
All smiles for runaway best film
By The Copenhagen Post
Published 04.02.08 00:00
'The Art of Crying' capped a year of critical international and domestic acclaim by being named the best Danish movie of 2007
Winning a total of eight awards, including Best Film, Best New Director and the Audience Award, the riveting family drama 'The Art of Crying' was the evening's big winner on Sunday, when the Danish Film Academy handed out its 2007 Robert Awards.
'The Art of Crying' tells the story of precocious, eleven-year-old Allan, trying to keep his dysfunctional, rural family together during the social upheavals of the early 1970s.
In addition to being one of the country's biggest box office hits in 2007, 'The Art of Crying', and its director, Peter Schønau Fog, had harvested no less than 13 awards at film international festivals prior to Sunday's accolades.
It was also nominated as Denmark's entry in the Best Foreign Film category in this year's Academy Awards.
Also winning multiple awards on Sunday was the children's film 'Island of the Lost Souls'.
'Eastern Promises', starring Denmark's own Viggo Mortensen, received the Film Academy's nod as the Best Non-American Foreign Film. Mortensen is nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actor category.
(Correction: The Art of Crying has received 26 awards plus the 8 Roberts, Red.)
ROBERT AWARDS 2007
Also nominated:
Here's a bit of writings about The Art of Crying from The Palm Springs Filmfestival:
Also did an interview on KMIR TV and some radio too - but these things aren't on the net I guess.
Filmmedarbejderforeningen i København nominerede fredag følgende film og skuespillere til Bodilpriserne for de bedste præstationer i 2007:
Bedste danske spillefilm:
"AFR", instrueret af Morten Hartz Kaplers.
"Fighter" (Natasha Arty).
"Hvid nat" (Jannik Johansen).
"Kunsten at græde i kor" (Peter Schønau Fog).
Bedste kvindelige hovedrolle:
Rikke Louise Andersson i "Hvid nat".
Noomi Rapace i "Daisy Diamond".
Sonja Richter i "Cecilie". Paprika Steen i "Vikaren".
Semra Turan i "Fighter".
Bedste mandlige hovedrolle:
Jesper Asholt i "Kunsten at græde i kor".
Kim Bodnia i "Ekko".
Lars Brygmann i "Hvid nat".
David Dencik i "Uden for kærligheden".
Jannik Lorenzen i "Kunsten at græde i kor".
Bedste kvindelige birolle:
Anne Sophie Byder i "Hvid nat".
Stine Fischer Christensen i "Ekko".
Trine Dyrholm i "Daisy Diamond".
Charlotte Fich i "Kærlighed på film".
Hanne Hedelund i "Kunsten at græde i kor".
Bedste mandlige birolle:
Dejan Cukic i "De unge år".
Morten Grunwald i "Hvid nat".
Nicolaj Kopernikus i "De fortabte sjæles ø".
Søren Malling i "De unge år".
Cyron Bjørn Melville i "Fighter".
Bedste amerikanske film:
"Darjeeling Limited" (instrueret af Wes Anderson).
"I'm not There" (Todd Haynes).
"Letters from Iwo Jima" (Clint Eastwood).
"Paranoid Park" (Gus van Sant).
"Zodiac" (David Fincher).
Bedste udenlandske, ikke-amerikanske film:
"Eastern Promises" (Storbritannien/David Cronenberg).
"Fire måneder, tre år og to uger" (Rumænien/Cristian Mungiu).
"Pans Labyrint" (Spanien/Mexico/Guillermo del Toro).
"Persepolis" (Frankrig/Vincent Paronnaud og Marjane Satrapi).
"Reprise" (Norge/Joachim Trier).
(Kilde: Ritzau)
Læs mere på Politiken, Information, TV2 Vip.
According to Ekstra Bladet The Art of Crying/Kunsten at græde i kor has been nominated in 10 categories including Best Film and Best Actress for Julie Kolbeck.(I haven't found any info on the rest of the nominations yet).
The Robert awards are given by The Danish Film Academy.
Btw. the readers of the danish newspaper, Politiken, are voting to the best danish film of the year: here. And the 13. of december will the Golden Globe nominees be announced.
Another vote for best danish film: BT
Award for the Best Actress
Julie Kolbeck
Despite of her young age she succeeds in portraying complicated levels of a daughter who has to cope with an impossible relationship to her father and family.
The Slovak Television Award for Best Film
The Art of Crying
dir. Peter Schønau Fog
For original, non-pathetic and impressive narration about tragic victims of perverted love between parents and their children.
The total statistics for films screened at the festival came to 196 films from 38 countries. 135 screenings were attended by over 21,000 viewers. The average number of visitors for one screening was 157, which gives the ninth IFF Bratislava the status of most viewer-oriented festival in its history.
Read about it in Der Nordschleswiger in german or translated to english.
The Art of Crying
Bottom Line: Its relentlessly despairing tone will make it a hard sell overseas.
Da jeg syntes at den netop udgivne dvd med 'Kunsten at græde i kor' gevaldigt savner ekstra materiale(mod min vilje), har jeg lavet et lille slideshow med arbejds-fotos min bror og jeg tog under produktionen. Jeg håber også, at det kan bringe lidt gode minder fra optagelserne frem hos jer der har været med til at lave filmen.
God fornøjelse,
Peter
(Fra en sønderjysk lokalavis: Kvickly i Tønder fortæller. at man i første omgang havde 50 film, men at de blev udsolgt på en halv time. Omkring 90 er skrevet op til en dvd, som Kvickly naturligvis har bestilt en ekstra bunke af. - De kunne ikke rigtig forstå derovre i København, at vi skulle have så mange forklarer Jonna Schmidt, der regner med, at man kan blive ved med at skaffe film - i hvert fald foreløbig.)
Jydske Vestkysten: Kunsten at skrive en autograf.
DVD anmeldelser: Filmnet, Filmhjørnet, DVDvenner, On-z, Filmz, Film Blast
Dejligt og dansk
«Kunsten å gråte i kor»
Regi: Peter Schønau Fog
Med bl.a. Jesper Asholt, Hanne Hedelund, Jannik Lorenzen og Julie Kolbeck
Anmeldt av
Per Ivar Henriksbø
Publisert 09.11.2007 - 12:44
Jøss, for en film! Det forundrer meg ikke det minste at «Kunsten å gråte i kor» fikk Nordisk Råds filmpris for 2007. Hvis vår hjemlige kandidat til Oscar-nominasjonen «Tatt av kvinnen» greier å danke ut danskenes bidrag, må det være noe riv ruskende galt med juryen. Ikke til forkleinelse for dramatiseringen av Erlend Loes lett traumatiske møte med det motsatte kjønn. Men når våre brødre og søstre i sør knuser til med film av sånt format, er det bare å bøye seg i ærbødighet, respekt og ydmykhet, og erkjenne at så gode er vi ennå ikke blitt her til lands at vi er i stand til å matche genistreker som «Kunsten å gråte i kor».
Since 1996 The Nordisk Film Foundation has distributed an honorary award by the name of The Nordisk Film Award. The award is given to one or more persons who have contributed in an extraordinary way to the Danish media environment.
"The Art of Crying":The Art of Balancing
By Annika Koppel, FIRPRESCI
Danish helmer Peter Schønau Fog's tragic-comedy The Art of Crying (Kunsten at græde i kor, 2006) deals with the delicate and dark matter of child abuse in a family, where the father terrorizes all of its members with his constant crying and suicide threats.
Bo Hr. Hansen wrote the screenplay, which is based on a novel by Erling Jepsen. The story is told through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy Allan (Jannik Lorenzen). He is one of those witty boys, with big glasses, who not only observes the world around him curiously but is ready to take some action if needed. He adores his father, as children usually do, although the father obviously has some serious mental problems. His mother seems to not notice anything and sleeps, when help is needed. Allan wants him to be happy. The father likes to recite eulogies at funerals and that is the real art of crying. Allan even lends him a helping hand to make sure there are enough funerals and that his father would be happy. At least, he imagines he does.
Allan also insists that his bigger sister Sanne (Julie Kolbech) goes downstairs to comfort his father when he is crying. Their big brother has already moved away. When he visits the family, it begins to become clear what kind of comforting is needed. The eleven-year-old boy is innocent and poignant in his belief that the world of grown-ups is normal and good in every sense although the surroundings do not support this. For example, his aunt has turned out to be like a caricature; the father's birthday and family get-together is a real mess — these are the comic moments of the film. Nobody listens to the others and finally the dad cries again.
Jannik Lorenzen is very good in Allan's role; Jesper Asholt plays a credible monster-pervert father. The mother's character raises some questions, which is not to say that she has no character at all as she does have a tired "leave me alone" attitude. Only the episode where she helps Sanne to get ready for the party suggests how tightly she has been controlled by the father.
The film shows step-by-step how the boy's understanding of good and evil will increase and he begins to notice that his father's crying is the reason for the others' discomfort. The father makes his daughter's emerging relationship with Per (Sune Thomsen)fail, sends Allan to supervise their meeting and after that complains to the police. This is a turning point when Allan's devotion to dad starts to crumble.
The story is beautifully told in the film; there is nothing redundant or trivial. It has been difficult to handle a subject that has been taboo for a long time in a way that would not leave the audience disturbed and frightened, or even disgusted. That was not the purpose. On the other hand, there was a big risk that it would turn into comedy — fortunately this did not happen. Fog artfully balances between these two extremes, keeping a sensible and delicate approach, mixing humor, grief, violence, manipulation and hypocrisy into a bitter cocktail of realism. It has been a real art of balancing.
The director believes that this film is a chance to address the serious subject matter of child abuse in a way that people could not turn away from, by telling the story in the tone and viewpoint of a young boy. It's true, that this subject matter is far too important to be ignored and maybe his hope to be able to create awareness about a huge problem within families finally proves fruitful. This problem can only be solved if someone dares to take on the responsibility to rise up, interact and talk out loud.
Peter Schønau Fog has said it loud. Even if the film does not change the world, this is at least considerable reason for making a film. Definitely The Art of Crying is a good film and a memorable debut.
Annika Koppel© FIPRESCI 2007
Annika Koppel is a film critoic in Estonia. She works for the newspaper "Postimees" and the magazines "Sirp", "Theater. Music. Cinema."
(Well - that's according to rankinghigh.blogspot.com)
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have all chosen their official Oscar entries for next year's Academy Awards. Peter Schønau Fog’s masterpiece The Art of Crying was chosen 2007's best picture by the Nordic Council and that gives the film a major boost compared to the other films that were competing against it. Finland's and Iceland's official Oscar submissions were also nominated for the Nordic Council's Film Prize and lost - so their Oscar chances are not as high as Denmark's. Sweden and Norway did not compete for the award with their Oscar hopefuls. Here's a quick look at the five films from the Nordic area...
Continue reading here!
The jury's explains its choice of winner:
Seen through the eyes of a young boy 'The Art of Crying' depicts the absurdity and even horror of family life with laconic humour. Disturbing and entertaining at the same time the film handles the difficult subject of child abuse sharply but humanely. It boldly reveals the repressive forces at work underneath the sunny surface of a small rural town.
‘Art of Crying’ takes top Nordic prize
By The Copenhagen Post
Offentliggjort 10.10.07 kl. 10:00
Peter Schønau Fog’s masterpiece was chosen for yet another international award in taking this year’s Nordic Council Film Prize
The accolades keep piling up for Peter Schønau Fog, who will add the 2007 Nordic Council Film Prize to his collection of trophies for his powerful film ‘The Art of Crying’.
The council announced its award winners Tuesday. The official award ceremony will take place 31 October at the Danish Film Institute in Copenhagen.
Fog’s masterpiece about a child’s abused and troubled youth has garnered 13 international awards since its premier at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006. It has also been selected by the country’s film experts to compete for a nomination for an Oscar for best non-English language film.
‘The Art of Crying’ has done well in Danish cinemas since its screen release in April, selling enough tickets at the box office to make it the most successful non-comedy movie in Denmark this year.
The Nordic Council Film prize was created in 2005, with Danish director Per Fly winning the first award for his film ‘Manslaughter’. The award carries with it a monetary prize of DKK 350,000 (EUR 47,000).
It is given to an artistically originally film that draws on Nordic cultural talents and traditions.
My(Peter Schønau Fog) speech in danish:
Det er meget stort og overvældende at skulle modtage Nordisk Råds film pris. Tusinde tak.
Når jeg ser hvilke film ”Kunsten at græde i kor” har været oppe imod gør det mig meget ydmyg og taknemmelig. Det er film der hver især en er påmindelse om hvor meget vi i Norden kan lære meget om hinanden og derigennem ikke mindst om os selv. Så lad det være en opfordring til de nordiske distributører... (Her i København går Reprise vist som den eneste af filmene – det er slet og ret et mesterværk – så skynd jer ind og se Joachims film.)
Jeg vil gerne takke de mennesker, der har støttet mig gennem nogle meget hårde år.Her tænker jeg på min vidunderlige kæreste Sine Ingemann, mine brødre Henrik og Morten og mine forældre Nana og Carl Erik. De skal have den største tak for det er dem jeg har grædt ud hos når urimelighederne er vokset til uoverstigelige store bjerge. Og de som giver mig troen tilbage på, at selv om jeg måtte kæmpe mod en direkte destruktiv mistillid ville det kunne lykkes at lave en film, som jeg kunne stå inde for.
Derudover vil jeg takke de, som valgte at gå loyalt og konstruktivt med i den retning som jeg mente var nødvendig. Her tænker jeg særligt på manuskriptforfatter Bo Hr. Hansen, fotograf Harald Paalgard, klipper Anne Østerud, tonemester Peter Schultz, komponist Karsten Fundal.Til skuespillerne vil jeg blot sige jeg holder meget af jer, og nød hvert et øjeblik med jer, tusinde tak for det.
Jeg vil til Janniks og Julies forældre sige, hold op hvor har I nogen vidunderlige unger. I skal have en meget stor tak for jeres tillid til, at jeg kunne bringe dem igennem noget så vanvittigt som en filmproduktion på en ordentlig måde.
Tak til Erling Jepsen for din tillid til at jeg og vi kunne tage vare på dit livs historie på en anstændig vis.
Og til slut vil jeg takke sønderjyderne for uden jeres generøse hjælp ville det aldrig have lykkes at lave filmen ”Kunsten at græde i kor”, og uden jeres humor havde jeg nok ikke overlevet.Jeg er meget taknemmelig og meget lettet over at jeg med Nordisk Råds Film pris kan hvile i troen på, at jeg har båret mit ansvar igennem på anstændigvis vis og nået i mål. Tak.
International federation of film critics, FIPRESCI, awarded Danish debut feature The Art of Crying by Peter Schønau Fog which also received the Church of Iceland award, given out for the second time. The award was handed over by the Bishop of Iceland, Karl Sigurbjörnsson.
“Laughter and crying juxtapose in a quality film about difficult issues that raises questions concerning parental and societal responsibility. A young boy tells his family's story where violence and abuse lurks within the childhood home. The film deals delicately with issues that often are kept quiet and presents them with respect, understanding and sympathy. The Art of Crying raises awareness of the fragility of life, moves the audience and calls for discussion and responses,” is stated in the jury’s motivation.
Read about it here!
Velspilt og komisk, men mest av alt et dypt tragisk familiedrama.(...)
Det er noe Roy Anderssonsks over Peter Schønau Fogs langfilmdebut «Kunsten å gråte i kor». På den ene siden har han laget et overbevisende, tragisk og velspilt familiedrama. På den andre siden har han maktet å blande det dypt tragiske med det patetiske og komiske. Resultatet er en film som mest av alt irriterer og gjør forbannet. Ikke på grunn av manglende kvaliteter eller plump humor. Men fordi du – i alle fall jeg – aldri før har følt et så sterkt ønske om filleriste filmens karakterer. I enkeltes tilfelle nærmest kvele.
Det som gjør filmen interessant, gripende og vel verdt å se, er dynamikken som oppstår ved at fortelleren, 11-årige Allan, ser faren sin på en helt annen måte enn vi som tilskuere gjør. Derfor blir oppbygningen mot sannhetens øyeblikk heftig både for gutten og oss.
Kunsten å lage en alvorlig god film In 2000 Peter Schonau Fog's Little Man/Lille Mænsk was shortlisted for a Student Oscar Academy Award. Read about it here: Amber Film
6 Nordic Films Nominated For EFA
Read aout it here: DFI and here: Nordic.
The Nordic Council Film Prize
The Nordic Council has set up its own Nordic Film Prize which will be awarded to manuscript writers, directors and producers.The criteria for winning the prize is the creation of an artistically original film that is rooted in Nordic cultural circles, in which the various elements of the film unite to form a harmonious work.
The Nordic Council Film Prize is worth 350,000 Danish kroner (approx. €47,000), and thus has the same value as the literature, nature and environment and music prizes. The prize money is to be shared between the scriptwriter, the director and the producer.
According to Final Cut Productions a DVD of "The Art of Crying" will be released the 20. of november in Denmark.
Inspite of more than 228.000 admissions in Denmark, 32 international film festivals and 17 awards, Final Cut Productions has decided that this DVD will only contain the film, subtitles in danish/norwegian and an interview with author Erling Jepsen.
Pressemeddelse fra DFI:
Peter Schønau Fogs "Kunsten at græde i kor" er blandt de 42 film, som Det Europæiske Filmakademi har indstillet som kandidater til European Film Awards 2007 nomineringerne.
"Kunsten at græde i kor" har i alt vundet 13 internationale festivalpriser siden verdenspremieren i september på sidste års Toronto International Film Festival, og den har solgt 228.000 billetter i de danske biografer. Bo hr. Hansen har skrevet manuskriptet til "Kunsten at græde i kor", som er baseret på Erling Jepsens roman af samme navn. Filmen er produceret af Thomas Stenderup for Final Cut Productions.
I de kommende uger nominerer alle Filmakademiets 1800 medlemmer ved afstemning filmene i diverse kategorier. Nomineringerne offentliggøres den 3. november, og prisuddelingen finder sted i Berlin lørdag den 1. december.
Fra 1. september til 31. oktober kan alle, som har lyst, desuden stemme på hvilken europæisk film, der skal vinde prisen People's Choice Award 2007, som også uddeles ved European Film Awards arrangementet. 11 film er præsenteret, dog ingen danske. Afstemningen foregår på www.peopleschoiceaward.org.
De 42 udvalgte film: www.europeanfilmacademy.org/htm/Selection.html.
Kategorierne ved EFA: www.europeanfilmacademy.org/htm/Categories.html.
San Sebastian has 'Cold Fever'
Festival tauts 'New Nordic' section
By EMILIO MAYORGA
(Article from Variety)
BARCELONA -- Peter Schonau Fog's "The Art of Crying", Pernille Fischer Christensen's "A Soap" and Aleksi Salmenpera's "A Man's Job" are all set to unspool as part of the San Sebastian Festival's "Cold Fever - The New Nordic Cinema" section, announced today
Other films in the sidebar include: Tomas Alfredson's "Four Shades of Brown," Bard Breien's "The Art of Negative Thinking," "Parents" and "Children," both helmed by Ragnar Bragason, and Jens Lien's "The Bothersome Man"
"Cold Fever" aims to explore new trends in contemporary post-Dogma filmmaking Showcase
includes 38 movies from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland, and will be accompanied by a book, written by Danish film critic and writer Christian Monggaard.
"Cold fever" is one of the three sidebars announced by the festival The other two are a tribute to Philippe Garrel and a Henry King retro.
San Sebastian fest runs Sept. 20-29.
Svend er den eneste store filmpris i Danmark, der helt og aldeles bestemmes af publikum. For det er først og fremmest årets mest populære film, der er på stemmesedlen, og hvem der vinder, ja, det afgør bl.a. bt.dk's og B.T.s læsere.
Svend-prisen er etableret i samarbejde mellem danske filmproducenter, danske filmudlejere og Svendborg Kommune deraf navnet Svend.
Se nomineringer og stem her.
