LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

SnoopyStyle A dysfunctional upper-class family gathers for the father's 60th birthday. Secrets are revealed and chaos ensues.I understand the attraction of rebelling against Hollywood style blockbusters. Filming in a Blair Witch style doesn't make it good, let alone a masterpiece. The kindest thing I can say about the look of the movie is that the filmmakers are trying to do something different. It's not particularly interesting to me and rather tiresome.The other problem is mostly my fault. I don't know any of the actors. There is character chaos. I can follow most of the leads but it's hard to get involved. It's funny that Michael throws his wife and kids to the side of the road. I lose interest in any of them fairly quickly after that. I don't care about the family or its secrets.

Maz Murdoch (asda-man) Festen is a film I've been looking forward to for quite a while. I'm a big fan of Lars Von Trier's films (apart from The Idiots) and I understand that he was part of the whole Dogme 95 wave of filmmaking which saw Danes making films on hand-held cameras, using no props and no false lighting. Festen is the first official film to adhere to all these rules, although director Thomas Vinterberg did later admit to covering a window in one scene. Naughty, naughty! You'd think that it would be pretty difficult to make a good film in these conditions (have you seen The Idiots? It's dreadful!) but Festen somehow pulls it off. It's not just a good film, it's a great film.I was immediately engaged from the start with the strange camera angles and movements instantly grabbing my attention. In fact, it's this strange visual style which makes the film so involving and gripping. At times it feels like we're watching a fly-on-the-wall documentary, or perhaps some found footage from one of the guests. It also helps that the performances feel so real. You completely buy into the whole situation, no matter how darkly farcical it becomes.Festen features an array of characters who stick in your head after the film has finished. My favourite was probably Michael who had me laughing out loud on several occasions. He's an utterly over-the-top vile loon! Of course, the more you see of him, the more you start to dislike him and wonder how on earth he ever got married and managed to have two kids in the process! The film really gets going when one of the sons gets up to do a speech. Awkward doesn't even begin to describe it.The less you know about Festen the better! I avoided reviews because I didn't want any of the various shocks or twists revealed to me. That way you can become one of the guests who look in horror as the family's dysfunctions are revealed over the course of the night. I think a lot of credit has to go to Thomas' screenplay. It's a wonderful script which makes full use of its one-location idea and reveals its drama through character interactions which don't feel contrived in any way.I understand that Festen has been turned into a play and I can see why. There's so much bubbling under the surface and it often explodes beautifully in front of us. I love the way the characters slowly develop as the film goes on, as we get to learn new things about them. It makes the film so much richer and deeper. I also loved the ambiguity of it all. It's never made clear, until the end, whether what's being said is true or not.Towards the end of the film, Festen reveals itself as something much more than a dark comedy. It becomes a very sad and moving tale about childhood atrocities and losing someone you love. There's a haunting dream sequence at the end of the film which I found beautifully done and quite emotional. Festen is a great film, full of great performances and excellent filmmaking. Thomas Vinterberg isn't afraid to shock the audience, but unlike Lars in The Idiots, the controversial material is all relevant to the story and not used merely to make the audience react.

azuresky-949-282748 I watched this brave movie last night and thought it was fantastic in that the subject matter of how the painful realities of growing up in a family like this were brought to light in a creative way. It was brilliant in how this is attained and how important a film like this is for those who are silenced and hold the burden of growing up in these so called families where they are the victims and totally unbelieved when broaching the subject of this type of abuse. This is an important film for the future of humanity and celebrating that the TRUTH will set us free. I thank the writer and producer of the film for touching people in a way where the reality of this abuse is exposed. I also feel it is good film to give to friends and supportive people who are helping a loved one who has survived this and is healing. I admire these low budget films where it isn't about the money to produce it. It creates more of a dynamic and focus of human relations instead of all the props and fantasy. Bravo!

MrDude_o_o Camera work of the film gives the viewer a "part time job" to work in a birthday party as a cameraman. Vinterberg's technique is not unique of course; for example two years before Festen, Refn's Pusher has the same style. Some angles he uses also remind me of Cranes Are Flying - especially the stairs scene. However, camera work still provides various fresh executions such as there is a scene where camera changes its position quickly (pulled from its place in a harsh way so it can be put in its new position) to follow the car which enters the garden behind a wall or there is a scene where camera behaves like a fly, after a flight, resting on a bed for a short time. Dynamic editing also gives the viewer a great pleasure. Brilliant film-making.