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| A stylized, disjointed family picture with the bride standing strangely to the side makes up this poster for Lisa Jespersen's Hvor Kragerne Vender |
Irina has changed her name to accommodate her new lifestyle in Copenhagen, far from the countryside town in Jutland that she grew up in, but now she is heading there for her brother's wedding, along with her writer boyfriend.
Hvor Kragerne Vender is written by Sara Isabella Jønsson Vedde (Gold Coast/Guldkysten (2015, co-writer)) and debuting co-writer/director Lisa Jespersen (September (2018, short)). The titles translates to 'where the crows turn', a Danish idiom referring to a place way out in the countryside.
It is not long into the film when it is very clear what path we are on, and there is little in the way of surprises along the way. Some nice touches here and there, but only rare chuckles are provoked by Jespersen's mild, homely dramedy, which satirizes both Copenhagen's young artist community and the country people, though none of it with real bite or purpose.
Rosalinde Mynster (A Royal Affair/En Kongelig Affære (2012)) is a young star who the camera loves, so to speak, meaning that she looks great here in the lead. The inexperience of the writing is noticeable in lines here and there, which may have looked good on the page but sound unnatural in the scenes. The most grievous blunder is Irina's completely unlikely behavior and 'fornication dance' at the brother's wedding; she isn't drunk, and it seems completely out of touch with reality in more ways than one. Irina in the end (unsurprisingly) feels a bit better about her roots yet still wants to return to the city. The conflict is fairly minor in Hvor Kragerne Vender, but what's worse is that so are the moments of levity and poignancy along its course.
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown - still counting
= Uncertain
[Hvor Kragerne Vender premiered 31 January (Göthenburg Film Festival) and runs 91 minutes. Shooting took place in Denmark, with support from the state's New Danish Screen program. The admissions numbers from the film's release weekend are currently delayed and therefore unknown. It is screened as part of the Biografklub Danmark in Denmark, meaning that a large percentage of its audience will be paying only half the regular prize for their admission, and that it will likely land a bigger audience than it otherwise would. The film is set to release in the Netherlands on 18 November. Jespersen does not have a next gig announced yet. Mynster returns in the third season of Darkness: Those Who Kill/Den Som Dræber - Fanget af Mørket (2021) and doesn't have a next theatrical gig announced yet; Bodil Jørgensen (Ronal the Barbarian/Ronal Barbaren (2011)) returns in 3 different TV-series and also doesn't have a next theatrical engagement announced. 244 IMDb users have given Hvor Kragerne Vender a 6.7/10 average rating.]
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