By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Peter Schønau Fog
Starring: Hanne Hedelund | Jannik Lorenzen | Jesper Asholt | Julie Kolbech | Rita Angela
Original language title: Kunsten at græde i kor
Country: denmark, sweden
Year: 2007
Running time: 120
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495040/
Bruce says: “Sexual abuse is not the first topic that comes to mind when black comedy is mentioned. Although THE ART OF CRYING is technically comedic in nature, its aim is dead serious. The story takes place in 1971, a decade before sexual abuse was written about by professionals or addressed by the media, and focuses on an average Danish family probably the equivalent of a family of four in a small Iowa town. Henry (Jesper Asholt), the father, is a small time grocer who is oblivious to innovation. His rival is introducing self-service and expanding; Henry is operating out of his house. The mother (Hanne Hedelund) is hard working woman who takes sleeping pills at night to avoid sexual contact with her husband and to remain in denial as to what goes on in the house after she drifts into deep slumber.
“Allan, the eleven year old son, is the main character in the story. That may sound strange that an observer is the protagonist but it serves to strengthen rather than weaken the message. Frequently Henry has crying jags where he loses control, weeps inconsolably and threatens suicide. It turns out his fourteen year old daughter Sanne (Julie Kolbech) knows precisely what to do to calm him down and bring him back to reality. This arrangement is initially promoted by Allan who casts himself in the role of peacemaker because he cannot stand to see his father in such a distraught state. He, of course, is clueless as to what is going on between his father and his sister.
“The film unfolds in chapters and Budde the rival grocer is the focus of one of the earlier ones. His son, a terrible bully, meets an unfortunate end and Henry decides to attend the funeral. Once there Henry asks to speak and delivers a sparkling eulogy that elevates him in the eyes of the community. What this means to the central theme of the story is that Henry has become a tougher nut to crack. In the chapter focusing on Sanne, Henry becomes obsessed with the details of his daughter and her boyfriend and Grandma’s house burns to the ground. When Allan discovers what his father and sister are really doing to calm his father’s nerves, he experiences an emotional about face and becomes his sister’s ally. Suddenly you realize you aren’t laughing anymore.
“The humor of THE ART OF CRYING is broad yet gentle. Peter Schønau Fog has crafted the emotional fabric of his story carefully. Through Allan’s naïveté we can easily see how society as a whole functions. The music of Schubert reflects the simplicity and clarity of the story. Janis Joplin’s ‘A Woman Left Lonely’ fits in nicely as well. Fog is another young filmmaker to watch closely. 4.5 cats
“THE ART OF CRYING screened at the 2007 New Directors/New Films festival co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MOMA.”