Before the Frost (2018)

As winter approaches in rural 1850s Denmark, an old farmer (Jens) and his family face starvation. With the harsh circumstances and the prospect of yet another tough winter, Jens agrees to ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Noer

Writers:

Jesper Fink (screenplay), Michael Noer (screenplay)

Stars:

Jesper Christensen, Clara Rosager, Magnus Krepper

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jesper Christensen	...	Jens
Clara Rosager	...	Signe
Magnus Krepper	...	Gustav
Ghita Nørby	...	Agnes
Elliott Crosset Hove	...	Peder
Rasmus Hammerich	...	Holger
Bertil De Lorenzi	...	Mads
Gustav Dyekjær Giese	...	Laurits
Oscar Dyekjær Giese	...	Ole
Martin Greis-Rosenthal	...	Degnen (as Martin Greis)
Clement Black Petersen	...	Bum Hans (as Clement Blach Petersen)
Palle Kvist	...	Præst
Kristian Halken	...	Præst (voice)
Jens Brenaa	...	Ingolf
Gustav Möller	...	Karl Oskar

Storyline

As winter approaches in rural 1850s Denmark, an old farmer (Jens) and his family face starvation. With the harsh circumstances and the prospect of yet another tough winter, Jens agrees to ally with the neighbor family in a marriage between his daughter and their son. However, when the rich farmer at a nearby farm wants to buy Jens's land, he sees a chance to provide him and his family with an even better life.

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Plot Keywords:

19th century | farmer | hunger | marriage | fire | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish Swedish

Release Date:

10 January 2019 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Before the Frost

Filming Locations:

Højerup Gamle Kirke, Stevns Klint, Sjælland, Denmark

Box Office

Budget:

DKK 20,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nordisk Film Production, Det Danske Filminstitut, Danmarks Radio (DR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film opens with images of a frozen landscape in winter, then displays the title "Before the Frost" and jumps back several months to autumn.

User Reviews

Desperate times call for desperate measures

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.