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You Are Not Alone More at IMDbPro »Du er ikke alene (original title)
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| Index | 19 reviews in total |
43 out of 48 people found the following review useful:
Oh, the seventies!, 11 September 2003
Author:
Carlos Martinez Escalona from Mexico
A film that can't be viewed from a cinematographic point. Just because it's
not in
technique where this film achieves something. As in any film, what gives it
a strong
value is the story it tells.
Due Er Ikke Alene is a wonderful escape to a time lost forever. A film about
life. About
misery. About love and happiness. About senslessness and about achievement.
About
systems and counter-systems. About people who can be under extraordinary
circumstances, and be as extraordinary as they come. About challenges and
victories.
About sex and about understanding.
About imagination, creation and clashes. About authority and
reason.
Maybe not all these things are seen at first. They are the background. The
solid
background that gives credibility to the characters and power to the story.
A dreamer like Aske, puts the educational system in the limelight and leads
the rest to
discover why young people can think and do. Why there are reasons in life
more
important than just "living my life". Why the others are seldom regarded as
the very
motivation to do anything, and, when they become part of our lives, our view
of our own
can change entirely.
A naïve and deeply enchanting Bo, who only will do good. The one who makes
this story
so moving and so deep. His emotions, his beliefs, his feelings are rooted in
a wonderful
soul that cares about his friends. Someone always available to give a hand.
With firm
convictions and reassuring when anyone needs him. The peacemaker.
A beautiful and amazing Kim. His honesty, his absolute confidence in love
and his smile
make of him Bo's natural friend. What really makes this character glow is
his smile. He is
happy with life, even when he finds the normal bumps that lead others to
despair or
level things out with anger. He enjoys the small things. The ones that
count. From a bit
of fresh air to a bottle of wine (which, he discovers, should not be
abused).
Most interesting is Ole's role. His character turns the balance of the whole
story into
something worth studying for any teacher, school system, etc. Ole is alone.
And he
needs the care provided by his peers. And, eventually, even with his bully
ways, he
mends his life and comes to terms with the world.
The seventies were times of amazing richness, and this is shown openly here.
Maybe
one of the issues that make your eyes shine is the open difference between
what led to
some modern educational ideas and how they clashed with the old ones. This
was
Denmark, and it was the seventies. The final act is freakin' awesome.
Watch this film. You won't be disappointed. Watch it thinking about the
story, and this
time (oh, it's me saying this... I can't believe it), just this time, forget
about
cinematography.
38 out of 41 people found the following review useful:
Two boys fall in love together, 3 September 2002
Author:
kempo19b from USA
Excellent movie, if you have an open mind. The two boy's relationship grows in a very innocent manner. Even if you are heterosexual, you can probably identify with the feeling of your first infatuation for another person and all the little moments together that seemed special. This movie deals with first love, of another kind, in an extremely tasteful manner. My only regret is that, in America, people will not tolerate movies like this one. It makes it very hard to hear of, and also see movies with such an explosive subject. I would recommend it, if you can find it.
42 out of 49 people found the following review useful:
This film offers a tasteful and dignified handling of a sensitive subject matter which is often treated as taboo., 27 November 2000
Author:
marcus7777 from Seattle, Washington
This is not merely an enjoyable film, but it is a very unique and important movie too. This is the case because it approaches with taste and dignity a sensitive subject matter which is often regarded as taboo. The subject is that of homosexuality between teens and preteens. Bo is a 15 year-old boy who finds himself smitten with Kim, who is younger and extremely handsome. Kim more than reciprocates Bo's interest and passion. The result is a beautiful and loving relationship between two nice and decent boys. The movie contains incidental nudity and fabricated intimacy, however it is in no way vulgar or dirty. A previous viewer remarked that the musical score is unremarkable, but I found it to be both beautiful and catchy. Any youth who has experienced feelings similar to Bo's and Kim's may have found it difficult or damaging to attempt to discuss these matters with influential people, such as parents, teachers or peers. This may tend to cause such youngsters to feel isolated and defective. This movie offers vindication and progressiveness, even if the level of acceptance which Bo and Kim enjoyed is unfortunately somewhat fantastic. Maybe it's true, as this movie suggests, that characters like Bo and Kim (and people like me) really are not all alone in this world.
35 out of 46 people found the following review useful:
Danish Youth and Education, 22 October 2004
Author:
thinker1691 from USA
You Are Not Alone is an extraordinary film and one would not be surprised if it became a classic. The characters although not fully developed, much like the script, are nonetheless exceptional in that it sets the foundation for other similar works. Two young gay boys searching for understanding and acceptance, find love in a Danish private school. The film itself is sketchy with undeveloped nude scenes and hampered with an equally fragmented plot. Still rising above the script are the young actors Anders Agenso and Peter Bjerg who add a certain innocent vitality to an otherwise humdrum story. You'll enjoy the final sensual scene. It's the stuff dreams are made of. *****
24 out of 26 people found the following review useful:
A touching and brave tale. (lite spoilers), 22 April 2006
Author:
pazu7 from North Hollywood, Ca
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I saw "You Are Not Alone" years ago, when it first came out, and was
prompted to write this after reading a rather dimwitted review that
called it child porn. I guess this addled criticism was based on the
shower scene. I can only respond that "A man sees what he wants to see
and disregards the rest." If that's all you take from this film, then
that's all you deserve.
Though this film will never get wide spread attention, it actually
deserves the accolades for bravery and honesty that "Brokeback
Mountain" received. It's got more balls and takes on a much more
controversial topic. It is a touching and honest film, for those with a
heart, and it has an appropriate subtext of class struggle and
denunciation of warfare. And it has wit as well. It's actually rather
funny in many places. It has a 70's tone and score, with a 60's sense
of innocence and idealism.
But there is nudity and scenes of boys kissing one another. If you
can't deal with real depictions of human sexuality, then maybe you'd
better rent something off the Disney rack. This is not a film for the
narrow-minded or those caustic neo-Victorians whose tedious
maledictions are so unfortunately unavoidable now-a-days.
I suggest you see it and decide for yourself. It is supposed be on DVD
June of 2006, but you might have a hard time finding it on the shelves
in "The Land Of The Free".
22 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Finding Self, Finding Love, 14 December 2006
Author:
gradyharp from United States
DU ER IKKE ALENE (You Are Not Alone) is a 1978 Danish landmark film
written by Lasse Nielsen and Bent Petersen and directed by Nielsen and
Ernst Johansen. When the period during which this film was made, a time
when gay theme movies were all but verboten, this little film is a
brave, delicate, tender, unpretentious tale of the bonding, both
emotional and physical, that occurs between two young boys in a
boarding school in Denmark. The story develops slowly and insidiously,
a fact that makes some viewers find it boring or slow. But for this
viewer the pacing of the story is intricately involved in this tale of
the fragile first attractions that occur in young boys: everything is
new, and nothing is rushed - it just happens and evolves.
Kim (Peter Bjerg) is a young prepuberal youth living with his parents:
his father (Ove Sprogøe) is headmaster of a boys' school and his mother
(Elin Reimer) is in line with the father's hard-line standards. Though
not a student in the school, Kim does associate with the young high
school age boys and finds one lad in particular, Bo (Anders Agensø), a
role model who shows concern for Kim and with whom Kim bonds,
emotionally and eventually physically. The manner in which this occurs
is never acted out but merely suggested in the most discreet and
beautiful way. But we watch as this bond develops more strongly, with
each of the boys nascent to the situation in which they find
themselves.
The classmates are a varied group - normal kids in a normal school
situation - until one of the boys Ole (Ole Meyer), who is somewhat of a
trouble-maker, posts magazine pictures of nude women in his dorm room.
Reprimanded by the headmaster he is put on probation and when he
ultimately posts the contraband pictures in the dorm restroom, he is
threatened with expulsion. His classmates band together to protect him
and Ole is maintained in the school.
Other sidebar stories that pepper the screen are swimming hole
escapades where the injury of one of the boys calls forth the empathy
of the entire class; there is a vignette where an older woman tries to
teach one of the boys the beauties of physical love; there is a shower
scene that finds Bo and Kim gently observing each other; and there is a
class project for graduation that is supposed to be an enactment of the
10 Commandments, one episode of which is assigned to a student
filmmaker.
It is this finished class project film, shown before the faculty and
the parents, that is based on the commandment 'Love thy neighbor' and
it is a beautifully wrought scene of Bo and Kim embracing and kissing
in one of the more honest and sensitive moments on film. The
'non-story' film ends without an audience response: it simply fades
away to a tune that speaks of 'You are not alone - there is someone
like you ahead.' No, this is not a film about nudity or raw sex.
Instead this film is a brave exploration of the normal period in growth
when boys search for role models and find their first sensations of
love emerging. It is delicate, beautifully filmed and acted, and is one
of the early forays into same sex love that works on every level. Grady
Harp
20 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Beautiful and touching...but not absent of flaws., 8 January 2007
Author:
Meg Chomskis (monkeysontoast) from Maryland
I finally got a chance to watch a movie last week...it had been over a
month! This movie tells the story of two young boys that fall in love,
one a post-pubescent student at a boarding school, the other the
pre-pubescent son of the school's headmaster.
First, the movie is beautiful. The interaction between the two main
characters is touching, and handled with tender care. The two young men
(who are the actual ages they are portraying) are excellent and
convincing in their roles...as are the other young actors who make up
the rest of the students at the school. The interactions between all
the characters in the movie are incredibly realistic...not sugar
coated, or worse, over dramatized.
There are issues, however, with this movie that make it less than
excellent. For one, the script is terribly fragmented. For a while, you
forget that there is supposed to be a relationship developing between
the two main characters. The main storyline gets lost amongst a jumble
of other side stories going on inside and outside of the schools walls.
While these side stories don't dull down the movie (on the contrary,
they are often humorous and charming), they strip any semblance of
order and purpose from the narrative.
The other issue is that all the other characters are either completely
oblivious to the affection that Bo and Kim share (which is nearly
impossible), or they don't care (which seems equally odd). While I've
nothing against a story that is simple, innocent, and charming...you'd
think that these two boys would suffer some of the hardships that come
along with being young and gay. :giveup Overall, I applaud the movie
for approaching it's subject material so openly, in a way that would
NEVER be seen in an American film. The characters are engaging and a
joy to watch. Too bad the story wasn't more cohesive. Still, worthy of
a 7/10.
27 out of 37 people found the following review useful:
My absolute favorite movie., 28 June 2000
Author:
Qale-2 from Georgia, USA
Being my absolute favorite movie, I could watch "You Are Not Alone" if it were set on repeat. Few movies, and most certainly none of them American, set out to thrash the rules of moviemaking. Bo and Kim are beautiful young lovers and the film taints their love with equally beautiful moments shared on screen. The other boys both support the main story of Bo and Kim as well as expand into their own stories which also include the headmaster of the school all of them attend.
21 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Sentimental and romantic movie, 12 December 2005
Author:
ninoguapo from Middle of Nowhere
You are not alone is a movie about love. It is easy to watch and I can
guarantee that if you have an open mind you will enjoy every minute of
it. The action takes place at a Danish boarding school. That is the
place where Kim (12 y.o) and Bo (15 y.o) meet for the first time.
I like the romantic which flows from the screen. The whole atmosphere
of the movie is very relaxing and the music contributes to that. Some
time ago I read that this movie became an icon for generations of young
people growing up and after seeing it I can understand why.
You are not alone is sentimental movie which you will enjoy on some
quiet night – it can make you a better person.
12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
wonderful movie, questionable intent, 1 June 2008
Author:
lucaswillem from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I enjoyed "You Are Not Alone" very much, but am curious as to the
director's true intent. As most reviewers have noted, the most striking
theme in the movie is the romantic relationship between Bo and Kim, and
this will largely determine a viewer's reaction to the movie. Many of
those who admire it (such as myself!) see in this a wish-fulfillment of
frustrated adolescent erotic longings from their own youth. Others
(probably even many others) see the portrayal of this relationship as
disgusting -- difficult as it is for me to understand this, given the
chastity of what is shown in the movie. However, on the face of it,
this is not the real theme of the movie. Rather, this is the rebellion
of Youth against Authority, which was a very prominent subject in the
1970's, when the movie was made. It is quite possible to interpret the
whole movie as being about this topic, with the gay relationship only
being one of its many manifestations. Admittedly, the movie's abrupt
ending, immediately after a scene where the assembled faculty and
public are shown a filming of a prolonged erotic embrace between the
young lovers, seems to miss a big chance to say more about this
youth/adult conflict, and to emphasize the gay theme. However, I can't
really think of a way in which the scene that would have resulted from
this would have had any constructive upshot, and it seems to me a
clever device of the film-makers to leave this to the viewer's
imagination.
In an attempt to find out more about the true intent of the writers, I
trolled the internet and found that this movie is the final one of a
trilogy by Lasse Nielsen about youth. The previous two have no gay
element at all (at least, according to the reviews, I haven't seen
them). This makes me think that the conflict rather than the gay theme
was indeed uppermost in the writer's mind -- at least, nominally. For
me (and many others), the romance remains its real content. Lasse
Nielsen seems to have made no other movie since this one (although,
rather mysteriously, a search on his name in amazon.com yields a second
hit, another movie from featuring nude boys, called Genesis Children,
from 1991, but Nielsen is not actually listed in any credits for this
one!).
I have to say that, apart from the romance, the movie is not that all
that well crafted, which is why I couldn't give it a 10. (After several
more viewings, I changed the rating to 10 after all.) The various
themes are not well developed and transitions between scenes tend to be
abrupt and disjointed. In particular, I would have liked to see more
about how the Bo/Kim relationship really developed -- we just get a few
highlights, apparently spread out over a considerable stretch of time
(but unclear just how long: weeks? months?) On the other hand, the film
has a large number of very interesting characters, albeit often
sketchily depicted; and the acting is uniformly excellent, I am amazed
at how well the generally very youthful actors perform.
Incidentally, I found the following review in the NYTimes from 1981,
when the movie was shown at a film festival, which is not included in
the External Reviews on IMDb.com: query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html
?res=9A03E0DF153BF931A35752C0A967948260 (Spaces inserted in order to
comply with IMDb.com rules on long words.) It's quite amusing, but not
very kind!
Finally, I have a query for anyone with more insight into the movie:
why does Bo remove Kim's arm from his shoulder in the scene of the
group's discussion of events after the bathing scene where a boy was
injured? It doesn't fit in the uniformly blissful unfolding of their
relationship, but it doesn't seem to mean very much either. It's a very
minor point, I'm just curious. (Update: it's been pointed out to me
that this is consistent with Bo's feeling some shame about his sexual
orientation, cf. the opening scene where he pulls back from stroking
his friend's back, the scene where he moves away from Kim when Aske
enters the room, and the scene at the picnic where he seems about to
kiss Kim but instead breathes on his stomach.)
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