Skip over navigation

Sofa Cinema

Gifts - NEW  |   Help   |   Sign in

Festen (1998) Certificate 15

Festen

Sign up

Rated 3.5 stars
Average rating
(72%)
 
Starring: Ulrich Thomsen | Henning Moritzen | Thomas Bo Larsen | Paprika Steen
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Studio: METRODOME VIDEO
Run time: 106 mins
Genres: Drama | World Cinema
Languages: Danish
Subtitles: English
Released: October 13, 2008

A man celebrates his sixtieth birthday with friends, relatives, his wife and children. This is a film about love, hate, the icy charm of the bourgeoisie and the loving arms of the chambermaid. Danish dialogue.

Rating of 3 stars out of 5
Radio Times

Echoes of country-house comedies like Jean Renoir's La Règle du Jeu and such savage social satires as Luis Buñuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie ring around the first feature made under film-making collective Dogme 95's “vow of chastity”. A Danish patriarch celebrates his 60th birthday, but his son decides to reveal a few family secrets. But while the severity of the themes and the immediacy of the video imagery give the disastrous family reunion the same sort of visceral thrill induced by the first films of the nouvelle vague, this is more a shakycam soap opera than a mould-breaking masterpiece. However, any film that can tumble complacent chattering-class audiences out of their seats has to be applauded.

Highest rated reviews

50 out of 51 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
A party turns sour, very sour

borealis from london, 25th January, 2004

A most brilliant tale of family tragedy and revenge. As the patriarch of a rich Danish family celebrates a big birthday, his son salutes his father in a toast like you have never heard before. A more stunning piece of writing, directing and acting you will not find. Dogma or no dogma, pictures and sound play a minor role in this brutal timeless drama.

Read all highest rated reviews

21 out of 21 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Fascinating film which will shock

stephenLondon from from LONDON, 5th April, 2004

Get this film. It seems like a vague farce to start with but as things darken the true horror of this family comes to the surface. Some fantastic performances and disturbingly shaky camera work add to a fascinating film which will shock.

Read all highest rated reviews

16 out of 17 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Gripping and shocking

sam19661 from South Yorkshire, 26th February, 2004

Gripping and shocking, a compelling film, which deals with a very difficult subject in I think one of the best genre choices, that of the blackest of comedies. If you have seen Happiness by Todd Solenz, this is on a par with the tragi-comic handling of the brutalities of human existence.

One to watch definitely, a few laughs along the way, and a sense at the end of watching it that you have seen something truly brilliant, difficult to be left untouched by this movie experience.

Read all highest rated reviews

13 out of 13 people found the following review helpful:

*** May contain spoilers ***


Rated 0.0 stars
Drivel

John Goodyer from London, 1st November, 2007

This film is drowned in pretentiousness, worse than the West End play based on it. It comes from a movement in Denmark whose principles are set out on the disc together with an apology for not sticking to those principles 100%. The 'principles' themselves are arbitrary and meaningless such as never importing into a location any prop not found in that location, never using any lighting nor a tripod. The result is a blur of wobbleyscope. But the main problem with this film is that the 'big revelation' at the dinner is so meaninglessly handled. Child abuse is not trivial matter but it is treated as if the main point of the exercise were the making of the film itself in accordance with its 'principles' not the serious exploration of an awful revelation. It is treated as a game. Nothing is resolved. It's just an exercise in the self importance of the film makers. Total rubbish.

Read all highest rated reviews

Most recent reviews

Rated 4.0 stars
I was gripped from the start!

kirstyandmatt from , 12th March, 2010

This is one of those films which grips you from the start and does not let go. It is shocking, compelling and leaves you in a stunned silence. If you prefer immaculate, adrenaline-filled films then this is not necessarily going to be your thing, but this is gritty, dramatic and well worth a watch. I had to watch it in two parts and I was practically counting down the minutes until I could see the second part. The acting is believable and the way it is filmed makes you feel part of the whole facade of their happy family. If it is your first foray into world cinema then you could do a lot worse than watch this! If you are a seasoned foreign film addict then you won't be disappointed. Hollywood 'conveyer belt' films just do not compare! Great work.

Read all recent reviews

Rated 5.0 stars
A Little Gem

A Customer from Northallerton, 8th March, 2010

Once in a while a little gem appears. This film had a litte bit of everything and it kept you glued to the screen because you didn't know what was going to happen next and you certainly didn't want to miss any of it. Definitely a 5-star treat for the eyes and ears.

Read all recent reviews

Rated 5.0 stars
Danish hmm I thought this was German

Chantal from , 7th February, 2010

Brilliant film nonetheless, how to ruin a party. This is gripping stuff, however people carry on partying and eating whatever happens. I loved everybit of it.

Read all recent reviews

Rated 2.0 stars
Dated and not realistic

A Customer from OXON, 5th February, 2010

Essentially, a young man chooses a family gathering to publically confront his father for abusing him as a child (oh, and causing the suicide of his daughter). Poorly filmed, weak plot and somewhat wooden acting means this is really one to avoid.

Read all recent reviews