Before the Frost

A chilling film-noir movie, set in the 1850's rural countryside of Denmark. It introduces the brutal conditions and squalor of farmers conditions back in the day, where unpredictable weather, can tear families apart and spark a certain sinister creativity in desperate men.

The film examines the lengths that men will go to, to preserve their way of life, family and future prospects. In certain circumstances, good men might commit fraud, sell their children or even tacitly commit murder. This movie makes it abundantly clear, that "being good" is very much a luxury that not everyone can afford, no matter how hard they try.

I was, as always, impressed by Jesper Christensens performance, while Ghita Nørby added some much-needed gravitas to underscore the sinister nature of the deal that "Jens Cow" made with his Swedish neighbour. Swedes are usually the bad guys in danish movies, but I honestly cant tell who is good or bad at the end of this movie.