Film
SUZANNE BIER Director of Open Hearts
It is women, explains director Suzanne Bier, who have reacted most aggressively to her new Dogme drama Open Hearts (Elske Dig For Evigt), in which a tragic car accident paves the way for an adulterous affair between the victim‘s fiancee and a married father with three children. ‘They have said: “How can you defend the man that has been doing that sort of thing? He has to stand by his word, he can‘t just be thrown away by some passion.“ I found that very disturbing.‘ says Bier. ‘We have a kind of family fundamentalism in our society and I don‘t believe in any kind of fundamentalism.‘
The fortysomething Bier, a mother herself. stresses that it‘s not that she doesn‘t believe in nuclear families, but that ‘I believe in co- ordinating emotions with life. We are still living according to 18th century values, and they
are not really working Women, says Suzanne Bier (left), have reacted aggressively to Open Hearts
because our lives don’t fit into them.‘ "A Open Hearts was made and instead pays tribute to American cinema in the Within Denmark, Bier has according the Dogme ‘rules 19705, the heyday of the likes of Martin Scorsese forged a reputation as an accomplished director Of of chastity‘, and given that filmmakers like Thomas and Francis Ford Coppola. She singles out one comedies: The One and Only (disastrously remade Vinterberg (Festen) have spoken of being liberated particular scene from Apocalypse Now! where into English), for example, attracted close to a by having to follow specific guidelines, I ask Willard is given his mission to ‘terminate with million Danish spectators. Aided by screenwriter whether Bier had felt a similar sense of release. ‘lt‘s extreme prejudice' Colonel Kurtz. ‘lt‘s an amazing Anders Thomas Jensen (who co-scripted earlier amazing not having to be concerned about the light scene, where the undercurrents are so strong,‘ she Dogme productions Mifune and The King is Alive), or the actors‘ marks or what they should be says. ‘If I could make such an outrageously great Bier decided in Open Hearts to explore the idea of wearing,‘ she smiles. ‘One of the qualities of scene, that's so precise and sensuous . . .‘ a sudden catastrophe entering people's lives, a leading a religious life [she is Jewish] is that you On the evidence of Open Hearts, a similar resonant theme in the post-9/11 universe. ‘I was are freeing yourself from making certain choices. achievement may not be far away from Bier‘s also thinking about FatalAttraction,‘ she says, That makes life easier and Dogme works the same grasp. (Tom Dawson) ‘and what it had to say about fundamental family way.‘ I fw’ '_ 3- .- .- -' values and the idea of the terrible intruder, and Asked about the key influences on her I how we want to simplify things and find good and filmmaking, Bier doesn‘t mention European art- :.' : w :' :' " w ’.' bad guys. And again I don't believe in that.‘ house directors like Bergman. as you might expect, ," . . . n . OPEN HEARTS "if " f ‘ ' '3, ;,‘ , , PERSONAL VELOCITY (15)113min O... ’ j. “i " (15) 90min .000 "':.'."7{:'. ":"l ' in? w' n . ,. z» " :- l ll' nwupu ' ' 2 . ' it izn ." 'v' '2" ‘ . ' ' M‘ ) "1» " ' .i a: i" 'l; .;.' ‘ ' r . w 'v v '.'\ . ' ' ' T’ i 3:," 3‘ W: W, ‘ irr'.ii,:ie I ' . ' ' r1: 2: :1, l ' " z ' . ’ ‘ l K, i) r r ' ' 2: ‘ f -. ' ' r ' '.'- Challenging Dogme‘s :z" .. 1:;t'm-.:.,'”':" 'f ' :-': z' :--:r. sell-bydate 1' a! Emu-vi) ' 1.x ti ' ' r ' \ ' . ' .:-. ' Iv ' ’ :.l~ .J\ ' l 1.. ‘ , NW. 1 l\ ‘ s ' I r . . ~ . :1 m a ' 'vx ‘ .'~.' r . ‘ .‘vf- " ll ‘ i 'h l!"".. llvwfx 1 i ‘ f'..' *‘_)\"t" . l ‘ l l M \\ ' «n - 1. ' i l . ‘ I 5" ’ x ' ' I .. t ' x. 't.. )\=H.i. ... f . i .. . .l_. ..- t'wt ‘_ c '-»-_- ' ' ' : ," E: : .' :. Economic storytelling speaking volumes
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