Consider this movie a dark comedy with something to think about! When you expect to watch a movie that is realistic and probable, think twice. This movie is simply not like that. This movie is a satire, and it contains a lot of Danish humor, comparable with movies like Adam's Apples, The Green Butcher etc. You either like the dark absurdity that usually comes with Danish films, or you don't... It's definitely a matter of taste here! I for myself have enjoyed the movie as it was: with unexpected turns and characters that are very much overdone (but all this is clearly as it should be, it has a clear function in this movie). The underlying political ideas - as they could be when driven to extremes - give the audience something to think about! Just how far can a society go in getting rid of the others...?!
14 Reviews
Interesting premise, poor execution
MadiZone6 September 2008
"How We Get Rid Of The Others" is a confused movie, confused as in it does not really know what direction to take, never really sure whether to be deep and serious or flat and funny. This is a shame, because some of the elements work quite well. Søren Pilmark does a remarkable job playing the military commander and Søren Fauli plays the weak confused socialdemocratic politician perfectly, although it makes you wonder if it's really possible for such a spineless and retarded individual to be elected into parliament, but that isn't very important. What is however important is the character of Sidse/Belinda, who fails desperately. The idea of an academic person accidentally making up "The Copenhagen Criterias" which are the catalyst for the movie and then later on regretting it to start an underground organization to curb it's effects is neither realistic or funny and the double crossing girl comes off as an irrelevant, unbelievable and annoying character that shouldn't have made it to the storyline.
Folkes discovery of his biological parents is another side-story that just confuses and distracts from the main story.
So what works well? The relationship between Folke and Major Christian is brilliant, as is Christians numerous interviews with questionable citizens. I would have appreciated an interview scene with all of the citizens in the gym hall and perhaps a third character caught in the middle between Christian and Folke.
If you can forgive some crude acting and some lousy scenes, consider renting this title and appreciate the amusing and witty qualities that it does have.
Folkes discovery of his biological parents is another side-story that just confuses and distracts from the main story.
So what works well? The relationship between Folke and Major Christian is brilliant, as is Christians numerous interviews with questionable citizens. I would have appreciated an interview scene with all of the citizens in the gym hall and perhaps a third character caught in the middle between Christian and Folke.
If you can forgive some crude acting and some lousy scenes, consider renting this title and appreciate the amusing and witty qualities that it does have.
It's not only the idea that counts ...
kosmasp4 March 2009
The premise of the movie is really great. It stars off great too. The pace is good, the story seems as dark as it's title, everything runs along smoothly ... well not for long though. Unfortunately very soon, the movie runs out of steam.
Yes there is the occasional flash of a funny idea and/or storyline, but given the premise and the opportunities that arise, this seems and is very shorthanded. A shame then, that it falls back into clichés and tries hard to be funny, even when the timing and everything else is off. And when I say off, I mean in it in a bad way. If you don't care about missed opportunities, than you will at least enjoy it's dark humour ...
Yes there is the occasional flash of a funny idea and/or storyline, but given the premise and the opportunities that arise, this seems and is very shorthanded. A shame then, that it falls back into clichés and tries hard to be funny, even when the timing and everything else is off. And when I say off, I mean in it in a bad way. If you don't care about missed opportunities, than you will at least enjoy it's dark humour ...
Danish movies are great!
weedbreeder17 May 2008
Considering myself as a danish citizen, and movie-admirer, i must reply to this! If you think our movies suck, it might be related to the fact, that only Danes loves the sarcasm and irony. Insane, but often hilarious! Some might be offended by the content, and others bored. I could mention a long list, of personal favorite danish movies, that i can watch over and over again, still enjoying'! I'm not saying' that it's the only stuff I watch, when to laugh. I like all kinds of different int. movies and and TV shows, so all I'm really trying to say, is open your mind, and thank God that we have the opportunity to choose, what we watch.
Not sharp enough, not satirical enough - just not enough
sarastro74 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I had high expectations of this movie (the title, translated, is "How We Get Rid of the Others"). After all, the concept is great: a near future in which the ruling elite has taken the consequence of the right-wing government's constant verbal and legislative persecution of so-called freeloaders and the left wing in general, and decided to just kill off everyone who cannot prove that they're contributing something to the establishment (the establishment being called "the common good", but actually meaning the interests of the ruling capitalist ideology).
Very cool idea! Ideal for biting satire! Only, this movie completely blows its chance. The satire comes out only in a few scenes and performances of absurdity, but this satire is not sustained; it is neither sharp nor witty. And for an alleged comedy, the movie has nearly no funny scenes. The comedy, I assume, is supposed to be in the absurdity of the situations, but the situations are largely uncomfortable and over-serious, rather than evoking either laughter or thought.
The script is rife with grave errors in disposition. The action should have focused on the political aspects and how wrong it would be to do such a thing, but instead oodles of time are spent on a young woman who was the one that wrote the new laws for fun, and who's trying to save everybody, by organizing a resistance that ships people to Africa. All this is beside the point! A movie like this should not pretend to be so serious! It's a satire! A political statement. But it doesn't even begin to actually address the problem it's supposed to be about. Maybe it was afraid of going too far? How cowardly. That's not art. It's not even real satire.
Søren Pilmark, a very serious and by now one of Denmark's absolutely senior actors, was very good. He largely carried what little entertainment value the movie had. Everybody else: nothing special (well, perhaps except for Lene Poulsen, who did supply a convincing performance).
In fact, a problem with most Danish movies is that the language never sounds natural. Neither the formulation nor the delivery. Why is it so difficult to make it sound right? Why must it be so stilted and artificial? I hope, when people look at these movies fifty years from now, they don't think that this was how people talked in general Danish society.
3 out of 10.
Very cool idea! Ideal for biting satire! Only, this movie completely blows its chance. The satire comes out only in a few scenes and performances of absurdity, but this satire is not sustained; it is neither sharp nor witty. And for an alleged comedy, the movie has nearly no funny scenes. The comedy, I assume, is supposed to be in the absurdity of the situations, but the situations are largely uncomfortable and over-serious, rather than evoking either laughter or thought.
The script is rife with grave errors in disposition. The action should have focused on the political aspects and how wrong it would be to do such a thing, but instead oodles of time are spent on a young woman who was the one that wrote the new laws for fun, and who's trying to save everybody, by organizing a resistance that ships people to Africa. All this is beside the point! A movie like this should not pretend to be so serious! It's a satire! A political statement. But it doesn't even begin to actually address the problem it's supposed to be about. Maybe it was afraid of going too far? How cowardly. That's not art. It's not even real satire.
Søren Pilmark, a very serious and by now one of Denmark's absolutely senior actors, was very good. He largely carried what little entertainment value the movie had. Everybody else: nothing special (well, perhaps except for Lene Poulsen, who did supply a convincing performance).
In fact, a problem with most Danish movies is that the language never sounds natural. Neither the formulation nor the delivery. Why is it so difficult to make it sound right? Why must it be so stilted and artificial? I hope, when people look at these movies fifty years from now, they don't think that this was how people talked in general Danish society.
3 out of 10.
Ironically, some of what is in this would be nice to get rid of
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews2 June 2010
I knew that I had to watch this, from the very moment I learned of its existence. I was not able to catch it in the cinema, and I was thrilled to find a copy for sale. I like Pilmark, and he carries this well. His performance is the best in this; frankly, several of the others(in spite of a few of them being known talents... well, Kenter is great) are downright bad(Mieritz scrapes the bottom). The concept is marvelous, and this is a problem that we need to debate. Can we maintain the welfare state? The consensus here(in Denmark) is, of course, that no one should have to suffer because of something that is not their fault. But the fact remains that it costs money, and there are indeed people taking advantage of the benefits. It even gets political a little. A satire of this sort ought to be excellent. It jumps right into it, not wasting any time. Heck, it has magnificent points, such as how our social security numbers are used to keep track of us. The black comedy can be good. On the other hand, it goes for many low blows and cheap shots, it can be very gross, and it at times doesn't go above the level of caricature. The whole thing can't figure out if it wants to be funny or serious. It has also somewhat decided its stance right away, and could do more to actually discuss its subject. I would say it's over the top here and there. It tries to cover too much, squeezing in exposition awkwardly. The philosophy and such can be pretentious(the Africa thing is OK). I haven't seen other films by Rønnow Klarlund or Botoft, and would hope that they really are, or will get to be, better than this makes it seem. Characters tend to be flat or not credible. Editing and cinematography are nice at times, and the hand-held camera is put to reasonable use. The score music is distracting(and the English portion of the theme is poorly sung); this is not me refusing to be PC, I am saying that it undermines otherwise subtly effective conclusions to scenes by drawing attention to itself and to our viewing of something fictional. There is plenty of disturbing content and strong language, as well as occasional bloody violence in this. The DVD comes with an interesting commentary track(the two argue some... Fauli bitches a lot, and the director oversimplifies a bit to make his case), the trailer and "learn the lyrics"(merely the words on a still background). I recommend this mainly to those who, like me, want this dealt with. The best part of this? "I've heard enough to reach my decision". 6/10
There's good and bad
kroeyer2 September 2007
The movie has a funny and relevant point. You should be entertained at least now and then with this movie, and maybe get a few small surprises. It kicks off right from the first minute and you are quickly introduced to the plot. The acting from Louise Mieritz, Marie Caroline Schjeldal and Rasmus Botoft however is terrible, in contrary to Søren Pilmark who does an excellent job. They just don't seem convincing and you can't help being a bit frustrated of how bad it is. All in all it is a watchable but not memorable movie. There is a few laughs but you won't be going all crazy. I would certainly not recommend this as a buy, but it might work out for renting without causing too much disappointment.
In a swift, effective and unsentimental operation, the Danish society get's rid of its unproductive citizens once and for all.
mariespost21 January 2007
I loved this film, it made me laugh and even moved me. As a satire it really works because first of all, it's just plain funny, and it deals with a relevant issue - the imperfections of our welfare society. You can't help getting carried away by the film's argument outrageous as it may be. As a story it works too, because the main characters turn out to have problems you can sort of believe in the middle of the craziness. (Also, most of the acting is really good.) I liked that you are not provided with a clear answer or solution. The film just points out the basic inhumanity of looking at others as completely separate from oneself - that's how I saw it anyway. I do think that is a universal issue so I recommend this movie to everyone, even though the characters in it may be very Danish.
Interesting, with Many Marks of Quality, but Really, Really Heavy
m100019 December 2018
This is a brilliant idea. There are a number of great performances in here: Mr. Pilmark's, Ms. Mieritz's, and Ms. Tiemroth's among others. There are a number of clever writing twists-- surprises popping up later in the film. Save for one absurd image in the beginning, and the trope of interviews in different classrooms of a school, there is nothing comic here. Mr. Pilmark's character's smile on the cover of the video is misleading. Still, in the time of America's 45th president and in a time of compassion fatigue, what we do with the intractible problems of the least of us is worthy of discussion. This is not light though, and it is not funny.
Piece of .....
Wanker2630 January 2007
This movie could have been great(cause its got a somewhat fascinating premise) but it never rises above sheer caricature. The acting is severely flawed and there were moments where i cringed so severely that i thought i was going to fall of my seat in the theater. Never and I mean never Watch this godawfull piece of .... Danish cinema has been getting a lot of good pr the recent years but if this piece of .... crosses the border I'm afraid nobody sane will ever want to rent a danish movie. This movie is the reason why i chose to register here. I really felt i needed to steer people away from this piece of .... my sympathies go out to the people who already went to the cinema to watch this
It is a fascinating film, but definitely not for everyone
johnslegers2 May 2009
I'm not familiar with Danish cinema, but after seeing Lars Von Trier's "Dogville" and now "How to Get Rid of the Others" I'm getting the impression that Danish intellectuals love to discuss morality and especially the question of how to deal with the stupidity and moral flaws of both yourself and others. Both films deal with this topic in an incredibly intelligent, multi-layered way.
Also like Lars Von Trier, Anders Ronnow-Klarlund seems to have been motivated by the concept of "less is more". Much of the film looks like fairly crude amateur footage, yet throughout the film I felt the touch of a genius. Almost every scene is literally filled with the sort of cynical misanthropy and arrogance many intellectuals have but rarely admit in public, yet in retrospect the film gave a somewhat comforting and powerful insight in the human psyche.
It is not a film for everyone, but you definitely don't have to be Danish to appreciate it. If you enjoyed "Dogville" and "Idiocracy", you're going to love this film !
Also like Lars Von Trier, Anders Ronnow-Klarlund seems to have been motivated by the concept of "less is more". Much of the film looks like fairly crude amateur footage, yet throughout the film I felt the touch of a genius. Almost every scene is literally filled with the sort of cynical misanthropy and arrogance many intellectuals have but rarely admit in public, yet in retrospect the film gave a somewhat comforting and powerful insight in the human psyche.
It is not a film for everyone, but you definitely don't have to be Danish to appreciate it. If you enjoyed "Dogville" and "Idiocracy", you're going to love this film !
Overall a good low budget movie with a harsh, but not entirely off message.
anders-olsen8018 July 2023
We have a group of actors that know each other quite well, which means that they interact in an uncanny natural way. We also have a story that deals with a very real problem. Should the lowest and laziest be allowed to drag the rest down, or do we need to raise our expectations and demands? The satire is very much on point, and it works because it is far enough off that it works - it is still laughable. The humour is dark and as it should be, but probably not what non-Danish viewers will get right away. The production could have been better and less cluttered, and the audio is not done right. Obviously they wanted it gritty, but this just strikes me as if someone in audio production did not know what he/she was doing. The biggest let-down of this was not the film itself, it was its lack of promotion. It was non-existent at the time of the release.
Hilarious
piaschertiger6 April 2013
This movie is very funny.
First time I saw it (6 years ago) I didn't like it that much. I just saw for the second time - and now I love it. The acting is very sarcastic and rough - but it's on purpose. It might not all be character actors like Mads Mikkelsen and Ulrich Thomsen, but there is some very decent actors. Tommy Kenter is very good as the self absorbed 'artistdrunk' and Søren Pilmark is very good as a complete cynic interrogator.
I like the concept so much (Kantian duty-based ethics versus a cynic utilitarian ethics) and I was laughing all way through. The plot is twisted and very ironic. I can recommend this to everybody that like a strong concept and a lot of silly and black humor. It might not be a a great danish masterpiece, but it is very entertaining. A good laugh.
First time I saw it (6 years ago) I didn't like it that much. I just saw for the second time - and now I love it. The acting is very sarcastic and rough - but it's on purpose. It might not all be character actors like Mads Mikkelsen and Ulrich Thomsen, but there is some very decent actors. Tommy Kenter is very good as the self absorbed 'artistdrunk' and Søren Pilmark is very good as a complete cynic interrogator.
I like the concept so much (Kantian duty-based ethics versus a cynic utilitarian ethics) and I was laughing all way through. The plot is twisted and very ironic. I can recommend this to everybody that like a strong concept and a lot of silly and black humor. It might not be a a great danish masterpiece, but it is very entertaining. A good laugh.
Danish film about society
nince_muzz13 May 2008
I think that this movie is only useful if you are Danish. Otherwise you you won't understand, because it is a comment to the Danish society, and if you are an (for example) American, you just won't get. But if you are Danish, like me, then I really think you should watch it, because it starts some thoughts in your mind about our society. So if you are Danish, then watch it. But if you are not, then don't.
I also think the acting is great. Especially Søren Pilmark is very good at playing Christian, and he really shows what kind of person the character is.
But if I should say one thing, that would be that there is not enough "Hollywood" in it. I would have liked to see a bit more heroism in it. But it does not fit in the plot.
I also think the acting is great. Especially Søren Pilmark is very good at playing Christian, and he really shows what kind of person the character is.
But if I should say one thing, that would be that there is not enough "Hollywood" in it. I would have liked to see a bit more heroism in it. But it does not fit in the plot.
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