Who payed the critics

Let's be realistic.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The young and very talented piano student Daniel is living together with his single mother after has musical genius father took his own life a year ago. He is on the brink of becoming a Juliard student, when he meets his first real love, Sofie. This is amazing, until he realizes that his piano teacher is having an affair with his mother. When he finally accepts this, he starts to suspect his piano teacher in having an affair with her. His world changes dramatically.This is experienced film editor Morten Giese's first feature film directing job. He does this very well. The actors in the film is doing a great job. Daniel is played by Cyron Melville, brilliantly holding the tension the film throughout. Dejan Cukic is as always doing a brilliant job, another one of these roles that you have to figure out if he is good or if he is bad. The film gives a good depiction of a troubled mind and extreme jealousy. An illness which might be very severe, and could lead to tragic consequences.I think the film is well done, and an interesting take on the genre. Recommended.

The movie really starts promising with a depressing atmosphere around talented piano student Daniel which is also giving a hint about his feelings and how his psychology will be... His unhappiness, shyness in front of the audience and the girls, tainted relation with the mother and the suppressed feelings about his father's death -suicide- due to the his mental problems. The first part of the movie has a coherent screenplay that makes you root for the depressed emotions and the happiness with finding love - sweet Sophie.All these ends when the hero starts the suspicion and envy for the girlfriend. It feels kind of fake and enforced in the scenario that even though he's so explicitly dictating about his jealousy and doubts about the girl's fidelity and her relationship with his piano teacher, Sophie keeps on stuff that will provoke him such as flirting dances with the teacher or hanging out with him even though they had no contact point except Daniel before.Beginning as a drama and continuing psychology/thriller movie, the end is a cliché; lovers are apart.Except for some aches in the screenplay, it's still a good movie especially if you're somehow related to Scandinavia.

I was unlucky enough to watch it a a surprise premiere showing, and I regretted not leaving at once.I had never been to a theater where the entire crowd shouted with glee when the torture was finally over... I have now.The movie is filled with lousy acting, the dialog is painful and the pace is so slow that the movie feels endless. Luckily it isn't.As an example of the painful dialog and pace I will refer to an episode in the movie where the female lead says: "we need to talk".The resounding groans in the audience was immense and a comment of "please, make it short" was shouted at the screen.What comes to me as the biggest surprise is how well some people rate this movie - I would never recommend this movie to anyone.

I was fortunate enough to watch this the night it premiered where I live, since there were so few others in the theater. Hopefully word of mouth will spread. This is a masterpiece. So tight and filled to the brink with material, with an immense amount of it being hinted at, yet without it being heavy. The pace is spot-on, this is often intense, but never overwhelmingly so. It is difficult to put into words how incredibly well this handles all the delicate balances required. Nothing is too much or less than it needs to be. The plot is magnificent, and develops masterfully throughout. You may very well be able to predict occurrences in this, and you will find, just as I did, that their impact is unbelievably strong and real, the sign of a remarkably talented story-teller. The direction and writing is excellent, so effective, engaging, powerful. Cinematography and editing are amazing. It's rare to see such a firm grasp on what can be done with this medium, what can be achieved with a camera. The build-up and establishing of the mood is always beyond reproach. Acting and casting are perfect, every performance and every role, no emotion is under- or overplayed. Melville and Ditlevsen, the best of luck to you, may you and your careers go as far as you clearly deserve to. The sound is impeccable, and the music, a rather important part of this, consists of well-composed score and good choices of music already out. This is almost completely credible, the events, the people, the behavior, and at most you can contest minor details that don't detract from this as a whole. There is some humor, and it doesn't try too hard, nor is it dwelled on. This captures so many little moments, and truly gets into the humanity of it. While this can be viewed by a mainstream audience, in that they will be able to follow it(no offense intended, I'm saying that this is not Lynch), I'm not sure it's for everyone, or that anyone that *can* see it, will enjoy it. It's not a pleasant little escapist piece. Very little of this can be referred to as "fun". It's a deeply serious, and fairly dark, film. There is nudity, perhaps even a little more than what all non-Scandinavians are comfortable with. This has unglamourized violence, disturbing content and infrequent, moderate language as well. None of it is gratuitous. Thank you, Giese. Please keep them coming. These are indispensable, and not only to Danish cinema. I recommend this to anyone who feels they can handle it, and those who have at least somewhat of an interest in psychology in particular. 10/10