The Celebration Review
by "Steve Rhodes" (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)October 25th, 1998
THE CELEBRATION
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
As is the custom in Denmark, the eldest son in THE CELEBRATION (FESTEN) is first to read his congratulatory speech at his father's birthday party. The 60 year old father, Helge, played with confident assurance by Henning Moritzen, beams at his grown son as he waits for his son's praises, as do the others staying overnight at the family's hotel.
The handsome and smiling son, Christian, played in a highly nuanced and masterful performance by Ulrich Thomsen, has no intention of delivering the speech the guests expect. Several dozen guests, including his younger brother and sister, are flabbergasted by what they hear. He accuses his father of repeatedly molesting him and his now dead twin sister when they were kids. Like the boy who said the emperor has no clothes, he has made an incredible accusation.
How shocked are the assembled listeners? After a short pause to catch their breaths, they continue with the festivities as if the speech had never occurred. Laughter soon fills the dinning room again.
THE CELEBRATION is a marvelously inventive piece of filmmaking by director Thomas Vinterberg, a signer of the "Dogme 95," whose seal solemnly graces the opening like a huge Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. In 1995, 4 Danish directors, including Lar von Trier (BREAKING THE WAVES), took a "Vow of Chastity" regarding their cinematic techniques. Among the list of proscribed techniques are the use of artificial sounds, sets, locations and lighting. Most notably, all cameras must be handheld. And the director must remain uncredited.
It gets even more ludicrous in that the press kit contains the director's "Confession" to every time his broke his vows. He confesses, for example, to once covering a window to block out the sunlight. He also brought in a desk not originally at the hotel. Shocking. Shocking. As silly as all of this sounds, it works beautifully, and I am not making any of it up.
Since Christian later recants his claims of abuse, the story is not only a character study of a dysfunctional family but also a mystery as well. The living sister discovers a hidden note from her dead sister, which she reads and quickly conceals. This further enhances the mystery.
In a theater of the absurd, the guests sing happy songs and do line dances, while the fury builds within the family. In an explosive performance Thomas Bo Larsen plays the younger son, and Paprika Steen plays the troubled, living sister. Every member of the family seems in constant danger of violent eruption although fewer outbursts occur than one might expect. Even the staff get involved in the family squabbles by launching a rebellion in favor of one side.
The richly textured story twists and turns until it seems to have painted itself into a corner where only a cliched ending is possible. Then, viola, pulling a rabbit out of the celluloid hat, it comes up with a completely fresh and satisfying resolution.
THE CELEBRATION runs 1:45. The film is in Danish with English subtitles. It is rated R for sex, nudity, profanity, mild violence and brief dope smoking and would be acceptable for older and mature teens.
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