Global Focus
Film

In a Better World: Susana Bier Sept. 26

A Danish doctor, Anton, who works in an African refugee camp separates from his wife, a situation that causes intense stress for their two young sons. The oldest of the two, Elias, befriends a new boy in school, Christian, when he protects Elias from a bully. Christian, who has recently suffered the loss of his mother, leads Elias into increasingly more dangerous activities, leading to the intervention by the boys’ families.

Italian for Beginners/Dogme 95 #12: Lone Scherfig Oct. 24

This work was filmed in the style of the Dogme 95 movement, using handheld cameras and minimal effects. Unlike other films in this genre, it is a romantic comedy that follows the lives of three men and three women in a Danish town who end up together in an Italian class. They find that they all have much more in common than any of them previously imagined. Despite the sudden incapacitation of the Italian teacher, the class culminates with a romantic trip to Venice.

Eksperimentet: Louise Friedberg Nov. 28

Inspired by the memoir, With the Best Intentions by Tine Bryld, this film portrays the story of Gert, a nurse who is charged with the care of 16 Greenlandic children, who have just returned from Denmark after a year-long cultural "modeling." Intended to set an example for their fellow Greenlandic natives, the children have been taken from their families and are now returning their homeland. An initial believer in the experiment, Gert must deal with the serious challenges that the children face as they return home, the decreasing support of the Danish government and her rising doubts about the intentions of the project.

The President: Christoffer Guldbrandsen Jan. 23

This documentary portrays the appointment of the first European Union president, Herman van Rompuy. Narrated by current and former heads of state, the film shows the dynamics of European politics and offers an explanation for the operations of the European Union, illustrating the sometimes skewed balance between personal and national interests manifested in the politics of the European Union.

Let the Right One In: Tomas Alfredson Feb. 27

When a new girl, Eli, moves in next door, Oskar, a 12–year old boy, befriends her despite her strange habit of only leaving the house at night. Around the same time that Eli moves in, however, a rash of disappearances and grisly murders are discovered in the region. Oskar soon realizes Eli is a vampire, not actually a child, but several hundred years old. Oskar is still in love with Eli, and, as it becomes clear to the community that her appearance initiated the strange string of murders, the two find themselves in increasingly dangerous situations.

Persona: Ingmar Bergman March 27

Considered one of Ingmar Bergman’s greatest works, Persona follows the story of Alma, a nurse charged with the care of the mute actress, Elisabet Vogler. During their stay together, Alma becomes attached to Vogler and confides in her, until she finds a letter in which the actress regards her as an interesting and even humorous distraction. Tension between the two women grows, and Alma believes that her identity becomes merged with Vogler’s after a prophetic dream.