IMDb user comments for
Festen (1998) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 5 of 21:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Index

207 comments in total

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
IMPRESSIVE, 20 February 1999

Author: Leonardo Doria de Souza (leodoria@rj.sol.com.br) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Besides the quality of the artists, it's amazing how the story goes. Changing emotions from tears of indignity to surprising laughs, this is yet one of the classics of the Nordic movies. The way the story deals with the emotions is the high point of this film. The real truth not caring to tradition, rules, politics, ethics. One of the precursors of the DOGME, this movie is not to be forgotten.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Suffer the camera to feel the pain, 14 February 1999
Author: Thomas Schramm (t.schramm@pink.nl) from Breda, Netherlands

After having read some of the critics of the film I wanted to add the following: In my opinion "Festen" is not meant to be a pleasure to watch. The story it tells - or better that you are witnessing - is terribly sad. The moving camera is strenuous and difficult for the eyes, but it thereby translates the pain to the spectator. One has to suffer to understand the pain.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
the best in years?, 9 January 1999

Author: joerg strauss from hamburg, germany

it´s early january but i´m pretty sure there won´t be a better movie in 1999. FESTEN is extremely disturbing and left the hamburg audience speechless. as the lights went on, the people applauded and then exited quietly. Forget all the PRIVATE RYANS - vinterberg demonstrates that the inner war is the most explosive of all.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Celebration = Emancipation, 30 December 1998

Author: BobboFairbro01501 from Boston, MA, USA

I stumbled upon this film rather unexpectedly and am so thankful I did. I had gone to the theater to check out a bit of locally-shot fluff, but saw the poster for "The Celebration (Festen)" and decided, not knowing a thing about the film, to take the risk. From the first, unconventional, shots I was mesmerized. The sometimes grainy, rough and effectively lit work was perfect for the subject matter and gave a real "I'm part of this festen" feel to the film. I was immediately drawn into the story; the rage, the pain, the denial...the release... with remarkably cathartic and introspective results. It stayed with me for days. Surely one of the finer films I'd seen this year.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A REALLY dysfunctional family reunion, 2 November 1998

Author: scooter-23 from Boston, Massachusetts

This film is not for the squeamish or easily offended, but it's hard to stop watching, like a slow-motion car crash. The family patriarch is having his 60th birthday party, and it's payback time for his three surviving children, the fourth having recently committed suicide under mysterious circumstances.

The direction features lots of nervous, anti-esthetic, handheld camera work, deliberately grainy footage, and occasional dreamlike, quasi-supernatural sequences. It's a real visual treat. The film takes an unflinching portrait of a deeply troubled family, and isn't afraid to show the protagonists at their worst: shouted obscenities; robotlike, emotionless sex; the public revelation of terrible secrets; a racist, misogynistic family member. The drama never stops.

It's all very entertaining, but far too raw for people outside of the "art-movie" crowd.

---

1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Depressingly brilliant movie, 13 October 1998

Author: anonymous from Sweden

When the last picture had faded out and they turned the lights on, there were parts of the audience just standing, holding each other, crying. Festen leaves an immense feeling of pain. On the other hand, your own quite ordinary childhood, with ordinary quarrels and ordinary slamming doors seems to be paradise compared to the one the protagonists of this film has lived through. It's impossible not to compare Festen with Idioterne by Lars von Trier as von Trier is claimed to be one of the most talented (and indeed the most neurotic) directors in Denmark today, and because both these films are made according to the DOGMA 95-programe von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg has signed. And I'm glad to tell all of you who adore von Trier, that Festen is even better than Idioterne and that watching it really would improve your chances of getting depressed fairly soon and that not watching it would mean you'd be far behind in every qualified film conversation for at least a year from now!

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
SPOILERS HEREIN!, 18 February 2004

Author: mccombtara

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

When I read about this film's plot, I had a pretty good idea what Christian's surprise would be. That doesn't detract from the disturbing nature of his secret, nor does it ruin the film. I usually don't bother with films that touch upon incest because the subject is usually handled terribly, but "The Celebration" is the exception to that rule. Besides the wonderful acting and script, I think my favorite aspect of this film is the way it demonstrates the power of denial. When Christian first announces to all the dinner guests that his father raped him, no one reacts- they all ignore him. Every time he talks about it, the resistance to believe him becomes stronger and eventually results in a great deal of violence. It is very satisfying to see him validated in the end. This is a remarkable film. And despite it being one of the most disturbing films I've seen, I don't regret having watched it.

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Superb Danish drama!, 22 January 2002
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

'Festen' was the first Dogme movie, but not the first I watched, that being Lars von Trier's extraordinary 'The Idiots' ('Idioterne'). I know that the Dogme group have received a lot of criticism, and been accused of simply being a gimmick, but I fail to understand why after watching these two powerful movies. The self imposed limitations of the Dogme manifesto seem to have enabled both von Trier and Vinterberg to cut through the extraneous big budgets and special effects that currently dominate Hollywood, and hone in on the essentials - great performances and genuinely adult drama. I can't think of any mainstream Hollywood movies of the last ten years that are as believable and as confronting as 'Festen' or 'The Idiots'. To me they show up supposedly "difficult" fare as 'Requiem For A Dream' and 'Boys Don't Cry' for the shallow, simplistic rubbish that they are. Don't overlook this movie, it's unforgettable.

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
A Hand-Held Treat, 21 August 2000
Author: LunatickNick from United Kingdom

Please don't derive the wrong meaning from the title of my (very brief) review! This is an astonishingly powerful piece of film-making, which I caught rather by accident on UK terrestrial tv last week. By turns harrowing and funny, it's not the sort of story that would normally draw me (affluent family disintegrates under the weight of revelations made by its adult children, during a weekend celebration of the father's sixtieth birthday); but I was spellbound by the acting, script and grainy, naturalistic camera work (and NYPD fans, please take note: THIS is the way to handle the 'moving camera').

If thought-provoking film is what you're after, please try Festen. Even if, like me, your first language isn't Danish, you won't be disappointed.

---

2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
My god., 16 August 2000
Author: sundancementalist (sundancementalist@hotmail.com) from Bristol, England

I don't think I've seen as many people cry in one film ever. Forget the Dogme film style, which does suit this film better than perhaps other situations; the main puller here is the drama between the "underground" and the family, while Christian's story is attempting it's way through the party. The film didn't leave me in a state of shock as it might have some others, infact the defeat of good vs evil almost left me pleased.

I expected the performances to be all over the place, but they were all excellent, pushing the black comic feel throughout. The tireless toastmaster, the american who can't understand what is being said and brings Christian to tears, the 'Getting Warmer' game. Channel 4 spoilt it by showing some of the major revelations in an earlier documentary, but it was still horribly engaging and interesting. Also: showing up rich familys to be corrupt and in a worse state than you or I is always amazing to watch.

Added to that, the handheld camera didn't stop the film being excellently directed. You could enjoy it without thinking "ooh, that's an intresting shot" as the story flowed straight through. More of these, please.

---

---

Page 5 of 21:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Amazon.com summary	Ratings
Awards	Newsgroup reviews	External reviews
Parents Guide	Official site	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user comments	Your vote history