Festen (1998)

As the large family of a well respected father gather for his 60th birthday the well planned festivities are turned upside down by a dark secret revealed by one of the troubled sons. Festen was filmed in the dogme 95 style which i personally enjoyed, though the hand held camera took some getting used to it gives you time to appreciate basic film making. I believe that films were initially made to tell stories and not to show off expensive shots, which makes it refreshing to see a narrative driven film.

The fact that the shots were not perfectly lit and the camera movement was not smooth for me added to the raw element of the film, the tension was heavy and this was only enhanced by the fact that the footage we were seeing really looked like homemade movies. The style of filming also added to the disturbing nature of the film, the lack of cinematic devices made the issues of the film more prominent and thus leaving a heavier impact on the viewer.

Although i did personally enjoy this film i would not say it is an easy watch nor would i recommend to someone who isn't particularly interested in cinema. Festen seemed to have no respite in which the audience could relax, even in the beginning there was tension in the air around how this family dinner would go as things always seemed a little off balance. This was largely enhanced by actor performance, the character of Michael and his wife set the scene in the beginning for a family who was troubled and this was only further enhanced when the characters seemed to put on this facade of a wonderful get together even after things had gone horribly wrong. It almost seemed like a family ritual which had to be completed.

Overall i did really enjoy the film, i felt like the style helped enhance the narrative and although others could find the filming tedious it added a sense of reality that was needed to supplement the topics presented.