Directed by:
Henrik Ruben GenzCinematography:
Jørgen JohanssonComposer:
Kaare BjerkøCast:
Marie Askehave, Søren Malling, Miri Ann Beuschel, Lisa Nilsson, Mads Ole Langelund Larsen, Mads Riisom, Maria Erwolter, Jesper Asholt, Tom Jensen (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Welcome to a world of dark and dirty humour that Danes do so well, where pretty much nothing is off limits. It's 1986, months after the Chernobyl disaster. With nuclear fall-out weighing heavily on his mind, teenage poet Jens could do with a break from his crazy family. His domineering father Uffe (also known as 'God'), an erstwhile writer and now self-styled psychologist, uses their living room for some seriously weird therapy sessions. Older brother Thomas is a legendary wanker. Literally. He's holed up in his bedroom trying to break a masturbation record. Their Swedish mum seems pretty cool, although she's not above asking the local hooker over to help relieve her boy of his virginity 'problem'. But when 'God' gets bowled a medical bombshell, a fresh circle of hell breaks loose... And it's one hell of a hoot. (London Film Festival)
(more)Reviews (3)
In Word of God, a bunch of freaks becomes relatable or even likable characters and the filmmaker’s ambiguous
vision turns out to be a pleasant family drama. Seeing this once is enough; it offers pure entertainment without any
complex thoughts.
()
After all I have seen from Denmark, I am not surprised at all by the emotional carousel that the Danes have prepared. So God said it starts as an extravagant madness that is sometimes very close to logical thinking, but at the same time it's quite funny. The absurdity really borders on a slight perversion. But then it breaks and takes on that right Scandinavian depressive tone and starts to intensify. Maybe if it didn't go so dark, I would enjoy it more. It's hard to look for logic in such an absurd family when they convince you from the beginning that it doesn't exist.
()
Too bad about the lukewarm and embarrassing start, which doesn't seem to know which tone to choose. It is otherwise a light version of the Polish film The Last Family, which is ruled by my favorite actor Søren Malling in the role of an unbearable manipulative asshole in a bathrobe. The film sometimes drowns in its comedic tone, but as a drama, it has its touching spots. Genz opted for a very stylized feel, which on the one hand adds a retro charm to Uffe's estate, while on the other hand the film sometimes feels excessively leathery. The gods must be crazy, and I eventually developed a certain weakness for Uffe.
()