Dennis (2007) User Reviews

Black Comedy With A Danish Feel

[Theo Robertson · 8/10 · 30 April 2014]

I had this down as a documentary about a shy bodybuilder going out on a date with a girl he knows via the local gym . You can perhaps understand my mistake . I consciously avoid reading up on a short in case I get prejudiced about what I'm about to watch alongside the write up giving away important plot turns etc . It wasn't until about four minutes in to the running time that this Danish short was a drama and not a documentary

Now I've got to admit I'm not totally clued up about Danish cinema . From the little ones I have seen they tend to be hard hitting and so totally dark and gloomy they'll have you reaching for anti-depressants . In fact there does seem to be a certain level of irony that the main reason Denmark was in the news in recent years was down to an artist drawing cartons of the prophet Mohamed . Perhaps the headlines might be more accurate in pointing out someone in Demark has a sense of humour shock horror ? In other words DENNIS is something of a great surprise . It's similar in premise to that highly regarded Ronnie Corbett comedy from the early 1980s called SORRY where middle aged Timothy Lumbsden finds himself still living at home with his parents who still regard him as a child . That said SORRY was more interested in belly laughs while DENNIS concentrates on subtlety and there's long dramatic pauses as the audience are allowed to digest the information on screen and let them realise this isn't so much a situation comedy but something far more blackly comical where if we're totally honest when we stop to think about it there's not anything funny at all about the situations featured . In short it's a black comedy that carries a hard punch

Pretty depressing

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 22 October 2015]

"Dennis" is a Danish 18-minute short film from 8 years ago. The writer and director is Mads Matthiesen and he made a full feature film a couple years later based on this one here. The lead actor in both movies is Kim Kold and he plays his part well here. We learn about a man who lives with his mother and has no social life. One reason is that he feels guilty if he pays attention to anybody else than his mom, another is that he is father and son in one role somehow. However, here it seems he may break out of his isolation when he goes on a date with a young woman and meets her friends afterward. I liked how he put on that bodybuilding show with the girls. It was a very telling scene. First of all, it shows how this is the only form of interaction he knows, but also it was very degrading as he was basically nothing more than a stripper in that situation. Still, it seems that his date likes him, so it was really sad to watch the ending as he definitely ended up in bed with the very wrong person again. I liked this short movie and Denmark has produced some really great short films in the last 20 years. This can be considered one of them. Thumbs up.

nice work! Dennis is Huge!!

[lawbuntz · 8/10 · 23 December 2009]

Mainstream film banks on action explosions sex and graphics.

This film is not gratuitous in any way. It is honest and humble.

This small film from 2007 is an artistic piece in my opinion.

The beauty of this short film is in its subtleties...

The brilliance in this film is in its silence. in what is not said.

this film would not have worked without the amazing physique of the protagonist.

I also came across this short via youtube...oh lovely youtube. I can't believe that youtube is outlawed in some countries (ie. China)...thank goodness there are internet proxies that you can use to circumvent the "censorship".

Back to the film: the timing and editing is very well done. Great director. Nice performances.

The reason I did not give this a 10 is that I am from a mainstream film background...I base my opinions of Hollywood blockbusters like the majority of dumbasses in the world.

touching, with believable characters

[riderz_world · 9/10 · 18 December 2009]

Found this film through Youtube, it's featured on the videos of the day or something like that. It went unexpectedly good. There were tender moments when you can't help but feel for Dennis. The characters were believable, the main actor who played Dennis make Dennis a real character we can relate to.

The story... well, the story. Dennis is an introvert bodybuilder who still lives with her mother. He forms a somewhat unhealthy attachment with her mother (reminds me of Bate in Psycho, but well, it's not that creepy). So, when Dennis tells her mother he's going out with someone, her mother tries to prevent him from going. The movie is about what happens when he's going out and dis-attach from his mother for a night.

The film is very well done. The dialogue was great, the characters were believable, and I think there'll be psychological discussion after people watch this. I think this deserves much more viewings, and much more endorsements.

9/10

Remarkable film to change your perspective.

[seanakari · 10/10 · 21 December 2009]

Was pleasantly surprised by this film on youtube, the story is very gripping and captivating throughout the 16 mins. Dennis is a very rare exception to his appearance, although his muscles command respect, his persona and confidence are crippled by a much smaller and older woman, his mother. His impressive physique is no match for the psychological manipulation his mother has instilled into his being. Not only are the moments real, but Director Mads Matthiesen has masterfully implemented the use of silence to convey the painful reality of Dennis' detachment from society and his mother's unwavering control.

The film's gritty production value adds to the culture and realism of the story, and for a moment after the screen darkens and the credits role, you are left with a sense of appreciation for the quality of the story and the questions that it requires you to answer as an audience member.

Engages you with the main character quickly and in a way that makes it appear easy (SPOILERS)

[bob the moo · 28 April 2014]

Dennis is someone you would not want to mess with as he is a massive body builder currently in training for the national championships; however he also lives with his mother and has a certain amount of isolation and sadness about him too. We join him as he summons up the courage to invite a girl out on a date and also let his mother down by not staying in with her on a Friday night.

There is a great sense of familiarity to this piece as we see an introverted man who lives with his mother and has never really broken away from her; he goes on a date which is nice but awkward, then he finds himself in more awkward situations where a temporary lack of inhibitions sees him feel embarrassed and humiliated, ultimately leading to an appreciation of the sheltered (if unhealthy) life he lives. The twist to this tale is that the person in question is an incredibly large body-building with tattoos and, as such, the audience will naturally go to a place of assumptions and cliché about him. It is engaging then that the film walks us back from this point, leading the viewer to the common ground of normal life, regardless of the body shape or hobby of the character.

The plot is simple but engaging in this way, with awkwardness and a shared feeling of Dennis' discomfort. The conclusions drawn may not be the most uplifting or healthy but they are convincing, natural and tenderly done. Lead actor Kold is very good because he wears a lot of the character in his body language and his face rather than needing to do it with words – working well and fitting the character. He works well with the actress playing his mother – who is never Joan Crawford or even close, but yet in the small touches her ownership of him is clear.

Dennis is a great little short and I notice that the characters and concepts have been extended into a feature which came out a few years ago, which I'll now be looking for.

disturbing but had to watch

[audipost · 10/10 · 5 June 2021]

I thought this was like a day in the life of a bodybuilder documentary.

Very sad the life of a lonewolf bodybuilder.

Would like to see a sequel.

Just saw this in 2021..

I love it !

[Kirpianuscus · 20 June 2021]

I love it for the gentle way to give the story. For inspired acting. For realism of dialogue. For atmosphere. For the wise manner to explore the connection mother - son and all its inner pieces , easy to imagine them. I love it for the high simplicity, for the melancholical air and for the message. And, no doubts, for admirable job of Kim Kld in a role far to be easy to explore in fair way.