12/02/2006

In Annette K. Olesen´s film 1:1 (One to One) [+see also:
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film profile] (En Til En), which screened today in Berlin´s Panorama section, her portrayal of ethnic violence and fear amongst youngsters living in a Copenhagen suburb could not have been more topical in the current wake of protest by Muslims worldwide against a series of cartoons published in a Danish newspaper last September.

"Yes, those cartoons were offensive and hurt millions of Muslims around the world," said the director, herself an initiator of a "pro-communication" demonstration held last week in Copenhagen, which was attended by over 4,000 Danes. "But the Danish people should have reacted before to this complex situation of ethnic minorities living in Denmark´s suburbs. The whole situation has gotten out of control but the positive thing is that now people talk to each other and the message of my film is exactly that: talk to people".

Written by prolific scriptwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson who collaborated on Olesen’s two previous films – Minor Mishaps [+see also:
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film profile] (Best European Film at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival) and In Your Hands [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (shown in competition in Berlin in 2004) – 1:1 tells the story of a Danish teenager who been beaten to death on a council estate. The police have no clues as to who did it, but the boyfriend of the victim’s sister, a young Palestinian, believes his older brother is behind the assault.

Once again loosely using the Mike Leigh’s "method", i.e., of having the cast improvise the script in order to give the film a heightened sense of realism, the filmmaker has put together a remarkable cast of first-time actors: in particular, 17 year-old Mohamed Ali Bakier (himself of Palestinian origin), who brings real emotion and depth to the lead role, and the dazzling Joy K. Petersen, who plays Mie, his Danish girlfriend, alongside established Danish actress Anette Stovelbeak (Italian For Beginner). The Romeo and Juliet story mixed with social realism works very well, and the images, filmed in blue and grey tones and shot in tight close-ups, convey the sense of angst the director desired.

The film was produced by Olesen´s regular partner/producer Ib Tardini for Zentropa Entertainment, in co-production with the UK’s Sigma Films, and with support from TV2 Danmark, Zoma Films, Invicta Capital (UK) and the Danish Film Institute. Released on January 27 in Denmark (with 10,502 admissions), the film is being sold by Trust Film Sales.