Planet Ibsen (2005)
10/10
Moody, magical, and very honest.
6 March 2006
Apparently, women have been leaving their husbands for as long as there has been marriage. Unfortunately, no one told August Strindburg.

This is an excellent picture about the true story of the ego of August Strindburg, infamous playwright and typical chauvinist male. The film is told from the perspective of Strindburg's equally famous arch-rival, Henrik Ibsen- a very interesting choice of narration, because the movie itself is about a frustrated man who seems to desire attention in full. Funny? No. Fitting? Yes.

This film will make you torn between your feelings. It explains everyone's "side", so it's hard to formulate an opinion. I love that! It was nice to see a movie about how far a man will go to create his own world, and his own rules. You almost have to identify with Strindberg after watching. Not that he's everyman, but the film explains what happens when his wife gets a hold of a copy of Ibsens play "A Dolls House", and evolves in a way Strindberg is not pleased with. The rest of the film is an explanation of his resulting behavior.

This film was done in an extremely interesting and artistic way. The director of this film had just the right amount of vision to communicate this twisting and flowing drama into an entourage of different personalities that co-exist in the same room, but not necessarily in the same time.

It's not at all complicated to follow, which is good because of the subject of the film. The director kept it unbroken and timely, and the actors were so helpful in explaining what was going on with delivery and non-verbal communication (especially Steve Dumouchel) that you wont find yourself getting lost in the coolness. Gabriel Damon is so fun to watch as an overbearing husband, and Clint Howard's detail showed that he truly enjoyed himself. I'm recommending this film to people who like movies, not just the subject matter. There's not one cuss word and absolutely no nudity, just a good story done well.
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