Festen DVD

If you like films in which you can see almost nothing, hear only vaguely, be presented with meaningless, pretentious principles and sit through a self indulgent ramble... Read on

If you like films in which you can see almost nothing, hear only vaguely, be presented with meaningless, pretentious principles and sit through a self indulgent ramble through an unresolved story of child abuse involving totally repugnant characters with no redeeming features, then this film is for you. I thought the play was bad enough but the film is quite the worst film in the history of cinema. Anyone encouraged to buy it at £12.99 or at 1p is being ripped off. Hide

Now acknowledged as the most accessible film fashioned in the DOGME 95 idiom, Festen has gleaned awards and much audience enthusiasm. Thomas Vinterberg's authentic exa... Read on

Now acknowledged as the most accessible film fashioned in the DOGME 95 idiom, Festen has gleaned awards and much audience enthusiasm. Thomas Vinterberg's authentic examination of a family gathering that autodestructs is filmed in real time, which gives the unforced dramatics a powerful verisimilitude. The metaphorical 'vows of chastity' that Lars Von Trier launched the Dogma movement with now look quaint, but the unforced qualities on offer here lend real edge to the narrative. We are shown the Klingenfeldt family on the eve of the patriarch's birthday. With the strange death of his daughter destabilising an already precarious family equilibrium, the birthday celebration is doomed to disaster. Performances are uniformly splendid. The shades of Ibsen and Strindberg (with their bleak takes on family life) may be evident here, but this is a very individual piece of work. Hide