Movie Review: Copenhagen

By Noreen Sobczyk

Mark Raso makes his feature film directorial debut with Copenhagen, for which he also wrote the screenplay. The film was highly anticipated; Raso won the Student Academy Award (Oscar®) Gold Medal for his short film Under. Copenhagen had a very successful festival run, receiving six festival prizes prior to its recent US theatrical release. I eagerly offered to review the film, certain I would love an award-winning film with great viewer buzz and critical acclaim, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

Shot gorgeously, the film is also acted brilliantly by the two main characters: William played by Gethin Anthony (Game Of Thrones) and local girl Effy (Frederikke Dahl Hansen). William accepts help from the precocious Effy in delivering a letter from his estranged and deceased father to his unknown grandfather. Anthony does such a great job portraying the intentionally unlikeable William for so long through the film that by the time the audience is supposed to switch gears and begin to care about the relationship developing between him and Effy, I was utterly over his oversexed, immature behavior. I simply didn’t give a toss if he found the family he was looking for in Denmark, or if he and Effy would consummate their developing love affair. And when the charming, likeable Effy reveals that she is 14 years old (to William’s 28), I was sort of hoping he would follow social protocol and drop her like a hot potato: end scene and roll credits.

The age complication set up an interesting dynamic, and kudos to Raso in terms of how he handled the complexities related to this specific duo’s quandary. It was dealt with in a satisfying way for the audience and made sense for the situation. There was a side bit involving Effy and her stepfather which should have been extrapolated upon or left out of the film entirely. As it stands it just seems unnecessary. And it drove me absolutely bonkers early on when the duo takes a hidden key to surreptitiously enter what was once the home of William’s father and don’t bother to return the key. Why is it that we can suspend disbelief for sci fi creatures and horror plots, but have a problem with such a minor offense when it was seemingly a forgotten detail in an otherwise realistic movie?

The film is somewhat successful in its slice of life encounter romance, but does place a bit too much stock in an obvious analogy made by Effy which the film treats as an earth shatteringly brilliant insight (thus making Effy wise beyond her years). The family tree search serves as an compelling basis for the couple’s interaction, but when William learns some extremely unfavorable family information, it left me rather cold as I still wasn’t invested in William’s feelings. Hanson’s performance and the gorgeous cinematography and interesting camera angles are the highlights of the film. The film does leave one somewhat hopeful for the evolution of William’s maturity.

I definitely look forward to future films from Mark Raso, who seems to have the abilities to create a perfect film, but Copenhagen, for all of its effort, simply is not it.

Copenhagen is available on iTunes and VOD now. Check the film’s website for theatrical screenings.