Terribly Happy (2008)

A thriller about a Copenhagen cop who moves to a small town after having a nervous breakdown.

Director:

Henrik Ruben Genz

Writers:

Henrik Ruben Genz (screenplay), Dunja Gry Jensen (screenplay)

Stars:

Jakob Cedergren, Lene Maria Christensen, Kim Bodnia

19 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jakob Cedergren	...	Robert Hansen
Lene Maria Christensen	...	Ingerlise Buhl
Kim Bodnia	...	Jørgen Buhl
Lars Brygmann	...	Dr. Zerleng
Anders Hove	...	Købmand Moos
Jens Jørn Spottag	...	Politimester
Henrik Lykkegaard	...	Præst
Bodil Jørgensen	...	Bartender
Peter Hesse Overgaard	...	Helmuth
Niels Skousen	...	Hansi
Lars Lunøe	...	Nissum
Sune Q. Geertsen	...	'Øko' Tage (as Sune Geertsen)
Mathilde Maack	...	Dorthe
Ahn Le	...	Fru Købmand Moos
Taina Anneli R. Berg	...	Lone 'TP' (as Taina Anneli Berg)

Storyline

Robert Hansen is a cop in Copenhagen who makes a mistake, is remanded for therapy, then assigned to a small town in South Jutland, where cows and problems disappear into the mud. He quickly learns that the town bully, Jørgen, beats his wife, an outsider like Robert. He tries to get her to swear out a complaint against Jørgen; she flirts with Robert. When someone dies and Robert knows the prime suspect is innocent, he halts vigilante justice and things get complicated. He wants to protect himself and the daughter of Jørgen, and he wants to reconnect with his own daughter back home. Is rural justice his ticket back to Copenhagen? Is there any chance at happiness?

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Plot Keywords:

estranged husband | hardware store | slapped in the face | clothesline | hits bottle with hand | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

24 October 2008 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Terribly Happy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,650, 7 February 2010

Gross USA:

$170,943

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,828,984

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine & Mellow Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The US DVD release contains, as a special feature, a brief clip from an interview with director Henrik Ruben Genz and novel author Erling Jepsen, who are childhood friends. At the start of the interview, Jepsen starts to playfully smack Genz' face, but hits him harder than he wanted and breaks Genz' lip, drawing blood. Genz goes backstage, supposedly to stop the bleeding, but in fact goes home and never returns, leaving Jepsen to do the appearance alone.

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Goofs

In the closing credits the song "You Always Hurt the One You Love" is listed as "You Always Hurt the One Your Love" instead.

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Connections

Referenced in Deadline: Episode dated 22 October 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Der Puppenspieler von Mexico
Performed by Roberto Blanco
Written by Leon Carr/Earl Shuman

User Reviews

Terribly Happy - A Fine & Mellow Productions of a terribly dark comedy - hopelessly helplessly so

Did I say comedy? You certainly wouldn't feel that it is until you walk out of the theater and just might break into a smile, realizing how funny 'Terribly Happy' it all is. That's rather brilliant of the screenplay and direction. It's 'Fine & Mellow' productions, ha, indeed. This Danish dark comedy may not be everyone's cup of tea - there are terrible things happening throughout the movie that are not pleasing by normal social standards: mysterious disappearance of persons, deaths (or murders?), battered wife, neglected child, child striker and wife beater, imposing town bully, neighbors who are in the know and do nothing to help (so it seems). It's an uncomfortable community of a small rural town to find oneself in. Well, that's where Robert got dropped off at the beginning of the story.

The plot thickens as you watch our central character, Robert Hanson (played by Jakob Cedergren, convincingly deadpan), a city cop from Copenhagen 'banished for atonement' to Skarrild, a small provincial town with an ill-fated cow with two-heads legend as we, the viewers, are informed at the very onset of the film. "The following is based on a true story" flashed on screen in passing. We're introduced to our town flirt furtively disturbed, Mrs. Ingelise Buhl (played by Lene Maria Christensen, appealingly oversexed). The town bully and constant drunk in his cowboy hat, Jørgen Buhl (played by Kim Bodnia, menacingly ill-natured). And the cast of the key townsfolk: the doctor - Dr. Zerlang (played by Lars Brygmann, calculatingly all-knowing), the card game players including the general store owner, and the bar regulars, the lady bartender, not forgetting the lady hairdresser, and little Dorthe, Ingelise's daughter (played by Mathilde Maack in silent plight), who often pushes her pram with squeaky foreboding noise on the streets of Skarrild. Yes, all sorts of predicament and dilemma Robert very soon discovers, yet half-truth, never fully revealed by the townsfolk or party involved, let alone the doctor, who may very well be the town mayor discreet, holding all the cards (a literal pun). Secrets, more back-story continuously unraveling.

Writer-director Henrik Ruben Genz, based on the novel by his childhood friend, Erling Jepsen (a best-selling Danish author), delivered a noir thriller in dark comedy form all at once. Sheer talent! The film title is unquestionably befitting. It could be: How to deal with a town bully? Or: How to get your ideal town marshal? 'Terribly Happy' - the two choice words together simply take the cake. (A climatic sequence definitely did justice to the 'happy' and the 'terrifyingly tense' moments simultaneously experienced). "Terribly Happy" indisputably worth your while. Hopelessly helplessly with quiet glee. After all, it's a fine and mellow Skarrild community, why wouldn't Robert want to hang around and be their perfect marshal?

Note: Director Genz's statement and interview, author Jepsen's statement, can be viewed from the Press Kit accessible online at "oscilloscope.net/shop/view_film.php?ID=18&r=gallery"