Film Review: Italian for Beginners (Italiensk for begyndere, 2000)

3 months ago (Edited)

(source: tmdb.org)

Dogme 95 can be described as one of the last major art movements in history of cinema. Based on the manifest created by Lars von Trier and Tomas Vinterberg, two celebrated Danish film directors, its insistence on austere film making techniques, designed to bring the cinema to its roots, almost always associated it with the world of dark, depressive or, at least, serious dramas. In a matter of years, Dogme 95 films began to diversify its genres, starting with Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and his 1999 comedy Mifune. Gradually, those genres were becoming more Hollywood-like, a process that became evident with Italian for Beginners, 2000 romantic comedy written and directed by Lone Scherfing.

The plot is set in small Danish town and revolves around six characters who attend Italian class at night school. Andreas (played by Anders W. Berthelsen) is newly arrived pastor who becomes attracted to Olympia (played by Anette Støvelbæk), local baker whose job suffers because of her clumsiness. Hal-Finn (played by Lars Kaalund) is a former hotel employee who gets a job of a teacher and holds class after his predecessor has died. The class is being attended by Karen (played by Ann Eleonora Jørgensen) with whom Hal-Finn stars an affair. Hal-Finn’s former boss Jørgen Mortensen (played by Peter Ganzler) is attracted to Hal-Finn Italian friend Giulia (played by Sara Indrio Jensen).

While Lone Scherfing remained with the technical confines of Dogme 95 Manifesto – no artificial lighting, no period setting, no music – her script was clearly in the realm of romantic comedy, albeit more in style of American independent cinema than mainstream Hollywood. Characters are quirky, but generally believable and played by experienced actors. Humour isn’t anything to write home about, but realistic style make humorous situations stand out, just as the realistic approach works well when comedy is mixed with somewhat darker plot elements like domestic abuse, mental illness, physical disability and suicides. Italian for Beginners nevertheless retains just enough charm to be enjoyed but all but the most jaded audience, and the generally good impression will remain even with predictably corny ending. Italian for Beginners have won Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival, but its reputation has later overshadowed by discovery that the script had been based on Evening Class, 1996 novel by Irish author Maeve Binchy, a fact recognised by producers only years later following legal action.

RATING: 6/10 (++)