85. Festen (1998, Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark) After seeing it for the first time, I happen to share Rhubarb's opinion that this film's existence just about justifies the existence of the entire Dogme 95 initiative. That's not a slur against the other films made in this primarily-Danish cinematic movement, because "The Idiots” and "Italian for Beginners” are both excellent films, but "Festen” is head and shoulders above the rest. The story of a family that comes together to celebrate the patriarch's sixtieth birthday, which leads to one of his son's dropping a bombshell, is also the first Dogme film, and what a high standard it set. It's a film about truth and honesty, one about family, about the bourgeois nature of the upper class, and about the effect that childhood can have on the rest of a person's life. The most interesting of these is certainly the anti-upper class messages that the film sends, joining a long line of brilliant films of the same ilk, like Renoir's "The Rules of the Game” and Bunuel's "The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie”. The film presents these people as more bothered about keeping up appearances than the revelation that Christian has recently revealed. The upper echelons of society are presented as casual racists, and the head of the family, Helge, simply cannot have done these things that he is accused of doing, for he is rich and respectable. As the film wears on, though, the evidence mounts up and the fact of the matter cannot be denied, leading to some really powerful emotional scenes at the film's climax. The Dogme style helps out the urgency of proceedings, providing some emphatic fuel for this single-setting story to propel itself with. It feels real and honest, which – I guess – is the best praise you could give for a film from this initiative, which prides itself on such realism and honesty. Vinerberg's direction, using handheld cameras and no additional lighting, is a revelation, placing you in the scene with frenetic urgency. The performances are top notch, with Ulrich Thomsen heading up a stellar cast as the uneasy and unsettling Christian, whilst Thomas Bo Larsen leads the support with a performance as a man who is still a boy, refusing to believe the things that his father has done whilst remaining morally contemptible throughout. "Festen” is a great film, with very few flaws, genuine emotion, and raw power.
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