Opening 14 Apr 2016
Directed by:
Tobias Lindholm
Writing credits:
Tobias Lindholm
Principal actors:
Pilou Asbæk, Dar Salim, Tuva Novotny, Søren Malling, Charlotte Munck
Danish Claus Michael Pedersen (Asbæk) is a commanding officer in charge of fellow countrymen serving as soldiers in Afghanistan. They must protect themselves, as well as the local population, from massive strikes by the Taliban. Each day is a matter of life or death and decisions must be made under severe circumstances. At the same time Claus Michael’s wife Maria (Novotny) is home in Denmark, enduring her own stress of raising three children without the helpful hand of a loving husband and father. In the end Commander Pedersen returns to Denmark to stand trial for decisions made in Afghanistan.
Director Lindholm said, “For the past 14 years Denmark has been a nation at war. It has defined my generation, more than anything else, that we have sent young men to wars that haven’t been about defending Denmark’s borders but are based on a more abstract political choice,” In the first, or Afghanistan scenes, only three of the roles are played by professional actors. All the rest were professional soldiers who have actually been to Afghanistan.
This thought-provoking film was well-received at the Venice Film Festival and was Denmark’s nomination for best-foreign-language Oscar©. It encourages serious thought and discussion about the value or necessity of war, and is definitely not a film purely for entertainment. Filmed in Denmark, Spain, and Jordan. (Becky Tan)
