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KIRA'S REASON--A LOVE STORY Send This Review to a Friend
Danish actress Stine Stengade gives one of the best performances I can recall about a woman coping with mental illness in her role as Kira, who wants so much to lead a constructive life but simply cannot cope with day to day demands. Lars Mikkelsen contributes another outstanding performance as Mads, her husband, who struggles to deal with Kira while keeping his own life together in their complex relationship. "Kira's Reason--a Love Story" is another film along lines of the Danish Dogme code, and it turns out to be among the most impressive of them.
Kira has been in a mental hospital to help solve her problems manifested by depression and emotional outbursts. Meanwhile, her husband has been having an affair with her sister. But his sense of obligation and his basic affection for Kira, propels him to wanting to devote his efforts to caring for her as she comes home to resume life with him and their children. She would also like to be helpful with his work as a key person with a construction company.
In what is a disastrous mistake, Kira is given the opportunity to organize a dinner for her husband's boss and others and play the hostess. There is no way that she can be up to such a task, but she tries her best.
Director Ole Christian Madsen follows the Dogme style of stripped-down filmmaking that attempts to zero in on life without Hollywood trappings. Dogme films can also have their pretensions, but in this case, the result is a feeling of great intimacy. The close-ups are extremely effective, and we become voyeurs as we root for Kira's ability to deal with her problems and feel pain when events go badly for her.
Yet the film ends on a note of hope, even though the future is left for us to ponder. A First Run Features release.
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