A really good movie (spoiler)

hmmm...our issues with the movie are similar. For me, Nick's (the older brother) storyline is crammed in too many dramatic events. There are at least three separate plot threads: Nick trying to reach his brother, his dubious romance with the woman who lives down the hall, and the sudden appearance of his former lover's brother, the overweight, wreck of a human being whose name escapes me. I don't know how the novel works it, but it felt to me like Vinterberg's weaving of these disparate plot lines caused the story to feel forced. The easiest example takes place when Nick leaves the apartment so that his 'girlfriend' and former lover's brother can fool around, then he visits his brother's apartment for the first time in his life only to find out that the neighbor hasn't seen him in three weeks, then he returns to his apartment to find his 'girlfriend' has been strangled by his former lover's brother. These dramatic events are all supposed to take place in a matter of an hour or two. Too many disparate dramatic events developing in a short space of time become improbably quickly. It feels like Nick's visit to his brother's apartment originally took place on a separate day, but Vinterberg was forced to cut down the length of his film, and as an easy solution he intercut the visit between the sequence leading up to the 'girlfriend's' death. Too bad.

As a dramatic piece, it is exemplary. Great acting all around. The younger brother's storyline featuring his son is goddamn heartbreaking. Superb ending. I'm glad Vinterberg went on to make The Hunt. I'll be anticipating his films until someone dies, me or him.

My rating: 8