If you love the Danish-Swedish television co-production The Bridge currently screening on Tuesday evenings at 7.25pm, then you won’t want to miss The Keeper of Lost Causes. Following in the tradition of Camilla Lackberg, Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø, The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first of Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen Scandi-noir novels to be adapted for the big screen. A well-presented good yarn and a nice addition to the genre, it screens Monday 9th March, and is followed on Tuesday night by another Danish noir flick The Hour of The Lynx.
If you love the Danish-Swedish television co-production The Bridge currently screening on Tuesday evenings at 7.25pm, then you won’t want to miss The Keeper of Lost Causes. Following in the tradition of Camilla Lackberg, Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø, The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first of Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen Scandi-noir novels to be adapted for the big screen. A well-presented good yarn and a nice addition to the genre, it screens Monday 9th March, and is followed on Tuesday night by another Danish noir flick The Hour of The Lynx.
Short Term 12
Starring: Brie Larson, Frantz Turner & John Gallagher Jr.
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Screening: Saturday 14th March, 8.30pm
Short Term 12 is the scaled up version of writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton’s short film of the same name that won the Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. Based on his own experience of working at a short term foster home facility for at risk teenagers, Cretton’s restrained and accomplished film, gives us a heartbreaking and heartwarming glimpse into the lives of kids that have been given a miserable start in life. Excellently cast, tightly scripted and with just the right touch of light relief humour, Short Term 12 is a little indie gem.
The Keeper of Lost Causes
Starring: Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares & Sonja Richter
Directed by: Mikkel Norgaard
Screening: Rialto World, Monday 9th March, 8.30pm
In this moody, tense thriller, renegade Danish Police Inspector Carl Mørck (Kaas) is demoted to Department Q, where he and his assistant Assad (Fares Fares) are to file cold cases. Moody, troubled and not the easiest guy to get along with, Mørck decides to reopen rather than file the cases, starting with the mysterious disappearance of Danish politician Merete Lynggaard (Richter) five years earlier. Kaas makes for an excellent Mørck as he embraces his flaws and antisocial behavior in a manner that still makes him likeable.
Written by Nikolaj Arcel, who also wrote the screenplay for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and directed by Mikkel Norgaard (Klown), The Keeper of Lost Causes gives us what we want from the Scandi-noir genre; a well-paced, entertaining and well-crafted film filled with bleak landscapes, eerie photography and grim subject matter.
Tim’s Vermeer
Starring: Tim Jenison, David Hockney & Philip Steadman
Directed by: Raymond Teller
Screening: Wednesday 18th March, 8.30pm
Nominated for best documentary at the 2014 BAFTA Awards, Tim’s Vermeer tells the story of one man’s obsession to understand the painting techniques used by 17th century Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer. Tim Jenison is a wealthy Texas based, Emmy award winning video and film inventor and technician who dedicated half a decade to unraveling the mystery behind how Vermeer manage to paint in such a photorealistic way. Science meets art in this documentary, as Jenison comes up with a theory that blurs the line between artist as creative genius, and inventor and technician, and then goes to extraordinary lengths to test his theory by re-creating Vermeer’s The Music Room. The doco is a touch dry at times and the project a little self-indulgent, however you have to admire Jenison’s curiosity and dedication, and you also get to enjoy an amusing appearance by charming British artist David Hockney.