|
MIFUNE Send This Review to a Friend
When the great Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune was making his mark playing samurai warriors, he could hardly have imagined that years later his name and character would be used in a game between two brothers, as in the case in this new Danish film, "Mifune." One brother, Kresten, played by Anders W. Berthelsen, is a hot-shot businessman in Copenhagen. But back at a neglected farm, following the death of their father, Kresten's retarded elder brother Rud, portrayed by Jesper Asholt, cannot exist on his own. Whenever Rud has started to get out of control, Kresten has been able to ease the pressure by pretending to be Mifune, a game they've played since childhood. So much for the samurai lineage.
"Mifune", directed by Soren Kragh-Jacobsen, is the third film emanating from the Danish Dogma Collective that previously gave us "The Celebration" by Thomas Vinterberg and "The Idiots" by Lars Von Trier. The latest is a compelling and enjoyable comedy-drama, partly because of the basic relationship between the brothers, both of whom are extremely well-acted. But there's much more to the plot and to the texture.
Kresten, just married to the boss's daughter--a step in advancing his career-- is desperate to shield his poverty-ridden background. He travels to the farm and has to find a way to care for his brother now that their father is gone. Enter Livia (Iben Hjejle), a call girl who is earning money to pay for her troublesome young brother's schooling and on the run from her pimp and mysterious obscene and threatening phone calls. She answers Kresten's ad for a housekeeper who can also look after the hapless Rud. She's very attractive and sensual, and of course, there's trouble down on the farm, setting off complications and misunderstandings that spin out the plot.
The acting is mainly what "Mifune" has going for it, including the performance of Emil Tarding as Livia's problem brother. Although events get a bit far-fetched and convoluted at times, the film has heart and also can be very funny. As one might expect, Rud is the sort of character who can steal a film, and Kresten is the kind of climber who needs to learn a lesson or two. The film is directed with earthy naturalism that gives it an edge.
Denmark has long surprised us with films of interest, and "Mifune" is the latest evidence that we can expect more such surprises from that small but often artistically vital country.
A Sony Pictures Classics release.
|