Niels Arden Oplev (director)
Drakes Avenue Pictures (studio)
12 (certificate)
109 mins (length)
22 July 2013 (released)
21 July 2013
People are talking about this being a golden decade for Danish cinema, but based on this 2006 outing it’s been golden for quite some time now. We shall overcome is another little gem from Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and Dead Man Down director Niels Arden Oplev.
Set in the summer of 1969 in Denmark, We Shall overcome is an award winning film based on a true story about Frits a thirteen year old boy who has to deal and fight against a brutal headmaster at school and a father who is hospitalised after a nervous breakdown. He also has a crush on rich girl Iben. When his family get their first television set Frit’s world is opened up and he is especially captured by the speeches of Dr Martin Luther King and the struggles of the civil rights movement in America. He also finds a soul mate in young hippie probationer teacher Freddie Svale. Freddie shows Frits that it’s possible to be different and still be a strong person. Frit’s is on a difficult and painful journey that is ultimately uplifting and empowering.
We shall overcome is a lovely film that is beautifully photographed, brilliantly directed and superbly acted. The story manages to walk the fine line between bittersweet and funny and walks it like a tightrope. It never strays over to saccharine sickly sweet or over the top maudlin drama. Bent Mejding is fantastic as the sinister headmaster and Anders Berthelsen is charming as Freddie the hippy teacher. But, as usual with these movies it’s the younger actors that steal all the scenes they are in and star of the film Janus Rathke does not fail to deliver. He has a fantastic face that betrays a thousand emotions all going on at the same time. However, nearly all the main players in this film are worthy of a mention.
If this was an English speaking movie it’d be a classic by now, it was a mojor winner on the film festival circuit on its release in 2006. Hopefully this DVD release will be seen by more than usual as due to the rise in popularity of subtitled media we are more willing to try these films. And this really is a film you should try.
