Rene hjerter (2006) User Reviews

Beautiful... an amazing mix of old cinema with new, in a film about perception

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 10/10 · 4 October 2006]

Having been a big fan of Anders Matthesen for years, and having enjoyed his acting(and hoping he'd do more than the sparse amount seen in his stand-up performances and the Christmas calendar he created), I was excited to see if he could pull off a lead... if he could carry a feature production. I'm very happy to say that he does so, and does it perfectly. The film plays out drawing strong emotion and manages to grab you by surprise on more than one occasion. The plot is well-written, and grabs you and doesn't let go until the credits roll. The acting is flawless in all cases. The pacing is deliberate and takes the time it needs to tell the story... no more, no less. You're never bored, and you're never overwhelmed. The direction is marvelously understated(and at times contains an almost cynical deliberateness to the events... we can tell what's going to happen, but nothing can be done to prevent it), making for many thoroughly effective and strong moments in the film. The film inter-cuts with Pure Hearts, the old movie(which was created for the film, and rather immensely well-done, one might add... they captured the essence and feel of such films perfectly) that the two leads love watching, and does so to perfection. It adds a lot to the film, and is important to understand the main character and his motivation. The cinematography and editing is masterful. We aren't watching Kriss... we're experiencing the world as he sees it. As someone diagnosed with a weak form of Autism, I'm always curious as to how anyone with that syndrome is portrayed in films and the like. Often, we are subjected to attempts at an analysis by people who don't understand us. Occasionally, we are the butt end of the jokes. Here, it's done perfectly. All the details are spot-on, and the word "Autism" is never even mentioned. Anyone who knows about Autists watching this film will surely, as I, find the presentation to be accurate. I gained a lot of respect for Anders Matthesen tonight... and that says a lot, considering how much I already possessed. He does a perfect job of performing the role. His movements, his mannerism, his voice and vocabulary... astounding. Had one never seen this man act before, one would probably have sworn that he *was* Autistic. The writing is excellent. It takes you inside the mind of this man, and I dare anyone to watch this film through and not feel sorry for Kriss... in spite of his actions. One thing to note is that, apparently, the film is quite different from the book upon which it is based. The film is about good vs. evil... and perception. It provides good food for thought, and delivers its beautiful message perfectly. What that is, however, I shall not reveal here... I want each viewer to discover for himself. Also, I urge anyone who hasn't read the credits for the film here on IMDb to hold off on it until you've seen it... and if you already have, try your best to forget what you read. I glanced at it before I saw it, and luckily didn't remember any of what I read. This is an amazing film, and should be viewed by anyone old and mature enough to understand it, as well as hardened enough to take the tone and nature of some of the events. Kudos to Matthesen for not playing it for laughs(though his famous eye-twitch makes an appearance or three) and for displaying his talent in such a serious and demanding role. I recommend this to fans of Matthesen(for his talent, not the laughs we're used to him providing) and anyone intrigued by the subject matter. 10/10

Beautiful mixture of old and new movies.

[KnatLouie · 9/10 · 7 September 2006]

This story is about a young autistic man, Kriss, who has an obsession with the old black and white movie "Rene Hjerter", which he sees at least once a day, every day, all year long.

He lives in an institution for the criminally insane, and together with his best friend Willy he only wants one thing out of life: To watch "Rene Hjerter" constantly, because it's such a beautiful movie and has such a great star in the heroine Linda. But one day, one of the other mental patients says a mean remark about the movie, and Kriss knocks him out. This leads to the staff removing the movie from Kriss and Willy, and they decide to escape the place to find the *real* Linda.

But when they come out, the real world is not exactly what they had expected it to be.. and they think that almost everybody they meet is evil, even though they actually are "evil" themselves, according to society.

Conclusion: This is a great movie about good and bad, about love and hate, and is filled with great performances by Anders Matthesen, Morten Suurballe, Laura Bro, Lisbeth Dahl, and everybody else involved. Also a nice little cameo by the world-famous Danish actor Jesper Christensen as a rail-road bum.

It should be seen by most people, since the mixture between old Danish movies and new Danish movies is very well-made, and the story has a good morale too, about facing life, your dreams, and your fears instead of hiding away in a world of make-believe.

9/10