In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Extremely gripping and very well acted Danish film is no easy watch as it's cutting no corners. Jesper Christensen is sublime and proves that he's not only one of the best Danish actors, but one of the best, period. It's a film about overcoming illness, staying together as a family and about giving up hopes and dreams to support your loved ones.Normally, I'm not overly fond of the kitchen-sink approach that most Danish films tend to use, but when it's this well acted, with a tight script, it's hard not to be touched.Pernille Fischer Christensen is a very talented director and she orchestrates the film beautifully and sure-footed. If you can handle a tough, no-holds-barred drama, A Family delivers and stays with you afterwards.

I saw this film at Noordelijk Filmfestival 2011 (in Leeuwarden, province of Friesland NL). Rikard is a family father and the proud owner of a bakery his family had for generations, even proclaimed as Purveyor to the Royal Household. While being treated for cancer, he was bed bound for some time and was nursed by Sanne, with whom he got several children though not being formally married. The story starts with the receipt of a letter declaring him cured. During a subsequent celebration, Rikard and Sanne announce their marriage. Life seems on track again, until a new illness is diagnosed, alas with a fatal prognosis this time. Rikard has to find a suitable successor to take over the bakery.His favorite daughter Ditte, from an earlier marriage, lives together with Peter. She finds out to be pregnant, nearly at the same time as she gets a new job requiring a move to New York. Moreover, the new job will be demanding, leaving little or no time to raise a child. As if that is not enough for a single person to bear, having to choose between a new job and an abortion, other dilemma's are lurking ahead. Her father also pressures her to take over the bakery when he is gone, considering her the only one who understands the business. And to complete the puzzle facing her, her friend Peter decides to move to New York anyway, with of without her, seeing more prospects there for his artistic ambitions.Sanne finds it more and more difficult to cope with the increasingly sick Rikard. Contrary to the time of his earlier sickness, during which she altruistically nursed him, Sanne admits she can't take any more and wants him moved to a hospice.The other family members have problems along the same line, some due to the immanent death of Rikard, some arising from independent sources. Though limited, even the younger children have an integral role in what happens, and all of them act very natural. Needless to condense subsequent events here, as the overall picture will be clear from the above. Lots of ingredients come together all at once, obviously causing fundamental choices and shifts in mutual relationships. Family ties are stretched far beyond their limits in the process. We follow all this very closely, with concise dialogs because a picture paints a thousand words.All in all, this film has everything in it to attract a broad audience. The various interwoven sub-plots create a natural background for all family members to display their reactions, how it influences future lives and relationships with others. This together forms the building blocks of this film, with several moving and involving scenes as the result. Everyone's backgrounds and motives are portrayed at suitable moments. As a viewer we can easily feel sympathy for each of them. There are no obvious good or bad characters, only good or bad situations. I gave the maximum score for the audience award when leaving the theater.

This film starts with a short introduction into the life of a family and the reason why it still is how it is. Basically a fairly normal family with two grown up daughters, divorced parents, a father that is living with his new girlfriend and their two children. All of it completely normal.Even though it doesn't follow a high pace it is entirely captivating. It grips the audience and slowly takes them on a journey through the lives of what is just a family. With everything that happens one can feel more of a bond with the members of the family and feel their joy and pain - and that works very well.The way the characters are played is amazing. Every single one of them comes across as a completely real person and every single event is believable. The gripping tension is enough to have one leave the cinema slightly dented and bruised - in a good way.9 out of 10 corner stones

I had a chance to watch it there. I won't spoil the ending, but I will discuss certain aspects of the movie that could be considered as spoiler, though I guess nothing that wouldn't be standing in short review of the movie.Now that that's out of the way, this movie will have a special audience. It's a movie about real life, something quite a few moviegoers go to the cinema to escape from. Because it is too close to life. In this case it was very close to something that happened to me too. Or my father in that case, as the father of the movie here. It has quite a few sub-stories that form the central story, about the sickness of the father.The trick here of course being, that you get to see the family as it is, before the sickness gets revealed. So it starts off pretty light, but gets heavy, real heavy after that.If you had a similar experience, I'm not sure you will be able to stomach it (no pun intended). That depends entirely on you (it does not have to be your father, it could be another family member or friend that had this sickness).