Recalling Brassed Off and The Full Monty, this dark comedy, directed by Lotte Svendsen, tells of a downwardly mobile fishing community in Denmark. Set in 1981, the fishermen's former affluence abruptly ends when the government institutes fishing quotas. First fancy stereos and luxury cars go by the way side, then houses, and then marriages. The film focuses on married couple Lars Erik (Henrik Lykkegaard) and Sonja (Sofie Stougaard). Lars Erik used to have three employees and his own boat, now he has nothing. His wife has secretly gotten a job with their neighbor who makes pottery for tourists. Because she dare not tell the proud Lars Erik of her current furtive employment status, he assumes that Sonja is having an affair. Just as the cold embrace of the abyss threatens to envelop Lars Erik, Swedish pop band Vikingarna comes to town! The group's unusual blend of funky grooves and feel-good pop momentarily leavens the grinding tedium of the community's abject despair.
by Jonathan Crow
synopsis
