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Bænken

  • 2000
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
Jesper Christensen in Bænken (2000)
Drama

Kaj is an alcoholic living on the money the Danish state is providing him. Him and his friends spend their time drinking beer at a public bench. One day Kaj's life turns upside down when a y... Read allKaj is an alcoholic living on the money the Danish state is providing him. Him and his friends spend their time drinking beer at a public bench. One day Kaj's life turns upside down when a young lady and her child moves in next to him.Kaj is an alcoholic living on the money the Danish state is providing him. Him and his friends spend their time drinking beer at a public bench. One day Kaj's life turns upside down when a young lady and her child moves in next to him.

  • Director
    • Per Fly
  • Writers
    • Kim Leona
    • Per Fly
  • Stars
    • Jesper Christensen
    • Marius Sonne Janischefska
    • Stine Holm Joensen
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    4.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Per Fly
    • Writers
      • Kim Leona
      • Per Fly
    • Stars
      • Jesper Christensen
      • Marius Sonne Janischefska
      • Stine Holm Joensen
    • 15User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 11 wins & 10 nominations

    Photos13

    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Nicolaj Kopernikus in Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)
    Bænken (2000)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jesper Christensen
    Jesper Christensen
    • Kaj
    Marius Sonne Janischefska
    • Jonas
    Stine Holm Joensen
    • Liv
    Nicolaj Kopernikus
    Nicolaj Kopernikus
    • Stig
    Jens Albinus
    Jens Albinus
    • Kim
    Sarah Boberg
    Sarah Boberg
    • Connie
    • (as Sarah Kjærgaard Boberg)
    Benjamin Boe Rasmussen
    • Bo
    Lars Brygmann
    Lars Brygmann
    • Lars
    Lars Ranthe
    • Kaptajnen
    Holger Perfort
    • Hr. Nandrup
    Britta Lillesøe
    • Lis
    John Martinus
    • Toiletpasser
    Petrine Agger
    • Sygeplejerske
    Ann Kristine Schmidt
    • Receptionist
    Anette Støvelbæk
    Anette Støvelbæk
    • Kims Nabo
    Rikke Bendsen
    • Irene
    Ali Kahn
    • Købmand
    Erik Rasmussen
    • Tarzan
    • Director
      • Per Fly
    • Writers
      • Kim Leona
      • Per Fly
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie is the first of a trilogy by director Per Fly, the other two being "Arven" and "Drabet", dealing with Danish lower, middle and upper class respectively.
    • Goofs
      Kaj's name on the letterbox reappears after he has destroyed it.
    • Connections
      Featured in Bænken - med virkeligheden som udgangspunkt (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Le grand café
      Written by Ph. Lommet

      Match Music

    User reviews15

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Fantastic and heartfelt portrayal of the edges of society
    I was very skeptical when I first went to see this movie, I have never been a fan of political movies or movies with an overstated "message". This film however, proved to be neither. This is a refreshingly unsentimental portrayal of one of the members of society that we all would prefer to ignore. The main character, Kaj, is a wellfare client with no prospects, he once had a job and was making a life for himself, but now he is a broken down alcoholic with a genuine but thinly-veiled deathwish. He is masterfully portrayed by Jesper Christensen who, deservedly, won both the Bodil and Robert awards for his performance. Enter a woman who says she is his daughter and suddenly his world becomes complicated. What is so great about this film is that it never wallows in pity and heartfelt sympathies for its protagonists and neither does it become a political manifesto about the sufferings of the lower classes. This is ultimately a movie about a man, a man who may have made some wrong decisions in his life but nonetheless a human being like the rest of us. Per Fly spent a lot of time with people whose life resembles that of the characters in order to achieve a high level of authenticity. As a result the setting of the film is thoroughly believable and the characters equally so. This is the first film in Per Fly's trilogy about the classes in Denmark, the second movie about the upper class premiers this week in Denmark and the third, about the middle class will begin preproduction shortly.
    helpful•15
    2
    • prometheus-dk
    • Mar 2, 2003

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 27, 2000 (Denmark)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • Sweden
    • Language
      • Danish
    • Also known as
      • The Bench
    • Filming locations
      • Avedøre Stationsby, Avedøre, Sjælland, Denmark
    • Production companies
      • Zentropa Entertainments
      • Danmarks Radio (DR)
      • Det Danske Filminstitut
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,190,251
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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