Fear Me Not (2008)

A man signs up for a test trial of a new anti-depressant as a way to change his life. When the trial is called off, he continues taking the medication with violent results.

Director:

Kristian Levring

Writers:

Anders Thomas Jensen, Kristian Levring

Stars:

Ulrich Thomsen, Paprika Steen, Emma Sehested Høeg

2 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Mikael
Paprika Steen	...	Sigrid
Emma Sehested Høeg	...	Selma (as Emma Sehsted Høeg)
Lars Brygmann	...	Frederik
Stine Stengade	...	Ellen
Josephine Märcher Sandig	...	Pia
Bodil Udsen	...	Edith
Bjarne Henriksen	...	Kenneth
Ole Boisen	...	Rickard (as Ole Gorter Boisen)
Henrik Prip	...	Esben
Jakob Fals Nygaard	...	Tobias
Morten Hauch-Fausbøll	...	Hr. Jørgensen
Charlotte Juul	...	Fru Jørgensen
Elsebeth Nielsen	...	Sygeplejerske
Kim Westi	...	Midaldrende Mand

Storyline

42-year-old Michael needs a change in his life, so when he hears about clinical trials for a new anti-depressant, he signs up to be a guinea pig - without telling his family. Because of dangerous side effects, the trial is subsequently abandoned but Michael continues to take the pills. Having lost all control, Michael's repressed instincts resurface with a force and violence that no-one could have predicted.

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Plot Keywords:

downward spiral | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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User Reviews

Great acting...

but only a so-so rendering of what ultimately is the harrowing depiction of a man's mid-life crisis. Thomsen is awesome, as is Steen, and the atmosphere is "Dogmetically" foreboding, but the protagonist is never convincingly portrayed in any way other than the selfish, psychotic lout that he embodies throughout. I loved Levring's The King Is Alive, and in fact gave it a rare (for me) 10 rating on this website. But for me this is a classic case of a film failing to become greater than the sum of its parts. In the end, a decent enough character study, with a neat twist at the end, but nothing we haven't seen before, and done much better (Michael Douglas in Falling Down came to mind for me, at least). 5 out of 10 on my IMDb-ometer.

Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

19 December 2008 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Fear Me Not

Filming Locations:

Czech Republic

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$592,494

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sirena Film, Zentropa Entertainments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1