♥♥♥♥♥
+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year
+ Best Biopic of the Year + Best Historical Drama of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year + Worst $ Return of the Year: 0.33 times
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| Several war planes back Ulrich Thomsen with a steadfast look in his face, - and women poolside on his chest, - on this eclectic poster for Christina Rosendahl's The Good Traitor |
Henrik Kauffmann was Denmark's ambassador to the US in 1940, when German Nazi troops occupied the small Scandinavian country, and Kauffmann professed himself the independent representative of the free, democratic Denmark in the US, pushing for American involvement in the escalating WWII.
The Good Traitor is written by Kristian Bang Foss, Dunja Gry Jensen (Terribly Happy/Frygtelig Lykkelig (2008)) and its Danish master filmmaker, co-writer/director Christina Rosendahl (Supervoksen (2006)), whose 3rd feature it is.
It is a war drama about politics and diplomacy, as Kauffmann's smart maneuvers to stay in function as a formally estimated renegade ambassador during wartime SPOILER come to include a deal for a permanent US army presence in Greenland (part of the Danish kingdom) in exchange for US recognition of him as the de facto Danish government.
You'll look far for a war plane, gunplay or boots on the ground in The Good Traitor, as it sticks firmly to its story with Kauffmann as the diplomat creating policy in the peaceful US. Historically inclined audiences will immediately recognize the high stakes; others will be guided to understand the make-or-break context for the free world through effective matchings of a Washington pool party or the harmonic garden nature around the ambassador's swank compound with the frightful sounds of war and original radio broadcasts of the menacing developments at the time in Europe.
Kauffmann's career gamble is helped along by his American wife Charlotte's personal relationship with US president Roosevelt, and the high politics are countered with a domestic drama about Kauffmann's adulterous indiscretions with Charlotte's sister. This could have felt in the way of the main narrative, but the domestic drama is so well-made, with teeth of its own, that it raises the film and reminds us that at any given historical period for an important figure, other important things may also be going on.
Ulrich Thomsen (Mortdecai (2015)) is phenomenal as the bold, transgressive Kauffmann, and Denise Gough (Juliet, Naked (2018)) is equally great as his loving wife, whose betrayed hurt and jealousy turn to poisonous hatred for a period of time. Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (Rosita (2015)) is good as Kauffmann's idealistic lawyer partner; and Henry Goodman (The Damned United (2009)) is terrific as Roosevelt.
The Good Traitor's narrative isn't straight, neat, cut-and-dry but no-nonsense historic and dramatically powerful through its cutting tenderness, a fine film with only few minor drawbacks. The very handsome production has elegant photography by Louise McLaughlin (Out of Tune/De Frivillige (2019)).
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2020 in films - according to Film Excess
Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain
[The Good Traitor premiered 29 January (Göteborg Film Festival, Sweden) and runs 110 minutes. The film's release has been highly damaged by the China Virus pandemic. It has so far sold 127,045 tickets in production country Denmark, a far cry from the needed level in order to be considered a success theatrically here. The film's plush production values indicate the sale of at least 500,000 tickets should render the film a success, something it is unlikely to reach. In Denmark the film is also part of Biografklub Danmark, meaning that many audiences only pay 50 % to watch it. The film regrettably does not have announced releases in other markets yet at this time. Rosendahl does not have her next project announced yet. Thomsen returns in The New Pope (2019-20)) and theatrically in Erna i Krig (2020). 178 IMDb users have given The Good Traitor a 6.8/10 average rating.]
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