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Director(s): Ole Bornedal Screenwriter(s): Ole Bornedal Producer: Michael Obel Cinematographer: Dan Laustsen Editor: Anders Villadsen Production Designer: Anders Engelbrecht Sound: Nino Jacobsen, Niels Arild |
Just Another Love Story
World Dramatic
Denmark, 2007, 90 mins, Color
If the first order of business for any self-respecting film noir is a dead body with a story to tell, Ole Bornedal is quick to oblige. But rest assured that this twisted, visually energized genre bender has no further use for “custom,” and Just Another Love Story is anything but.
Jonas is a crime photographer, a family man, and a generally beleaguered resident of suburban malaise until he’s involved in a car accident that leaves a stranger, Julia, unconscious in the hospital. Curiosity compels Jonas to visit her, but when Julia’s family mistakes him for her boyfriend, Sebastian (whom they’ve never met), Jonas readily steps into the role. His pretense would be short lived, but Julia awakens with amnesia and, enlivened by the new identity he’s inherited, Jonas maintains the deception. Of course, memories return. And so do boyfriends.
Playing with flashbacks, employing a linearly fractured narrative, and freely manipulating noir’s standard devices and archetypes, Bornedal’s dexterity with genre conventions is on full display here. Constantly aware of what’s predictable, he heads in the opposite direction. Moreover, he latches onto a completely universal impulse--the desire to reinvent ourselves. But fatalism rules in noir, and the cruel irony--tailor made for that dead body--is that living a life that isn’t yours is a dangerous game, an illusory freedom. The truth always comes knocking at your door.
Jonas is a crime photographer, a family man, and a generally beleaguered resident of suburban malaise until he’s involved in a car accident that leaves a stranger, Julia, unconscious in the hospital. Curiosity compels Jonas to visit her, but when Julia’s family mistakes him for her boyfriend, Sebastian (whom they’ve never met), Jonas readily steps into the role. His pretense would be short lived, but Julia awakens with amnesia and, enlivened by the new identity he’s inherited, Jonas maintains the deception. Of course, memories return. And so do boyfriends.
Playing with flashbacks, employing a linearly fractured narrative, and freely manipulating noir’s standard devices and archetypes, Bornedal’s dexterity with genre conventions is on full display here. Constantly aware of what’s predictable, he heads in the opposite direction. Moreover, he latches onto a completely universal impulse--the desire to reinvent ourselves. But fatalism rules in noir, and the cruel irony--tailor made for that dead body--is that living a life that isn’t yours is a dangerous game, an illusory freedom. The truth always comes knocking at your door.
Ole Bornedal - Ole Bornedal began his career in radio and television and played a key role in the renewal of Danish TV satire. He wrote and directed a number of plays for the stage and enjoyed great success with his TV plays and miniseries, including Charlot og Charlotte (1996). Bornedal's breakthrough came with his 1994 feature-film debut Nattevagten (Nightwatch), which established him as one of the innovative directors of the Danish new wave of the 1990s.
Screenings:
Sat. January 19, 6:00pm, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Sun. January 20, Midnight, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
Mon. January 21, 3:00pm, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Wed. January 23, 6:30pm, Redstone Cinemas, Kimball Junction
Sat. January 26, 3:00pm, Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Sat. January 19, 6:00pm, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Sun. January 20, Midnight, Holiday Village Cinema IV, Park City
Mon. January 21, 3:00pm, Egyptian Theatre, Park City
Wed. January 23, 6:30pm, Redstone Cinemas, Kimball Junction
Sat. January 26, 3:00pm, Screening Room, Sundance Resort
Danny Sherman
Principal Entertainment
1964 Westwood Blvd., Ste. 400
Los Angeles
CA 90025
(310) 446-1466
danny@principalent.com
Principal Entertainment
1964 Westwood Blvd., Ste. 400
Los Angeles
CA 90025
(310) 446-1466
danny@principalent.com
