Clash of Egos

Satirical comedy in which a touchy divorced father wants to take his kids to the cinema, but finds himself in the wrong art film. When he wants to take his displeasure out on the director, the characters end up in a power play, poking fun at the film metier.

This satire mocks the profession of film maker itself. And this time not even the crazy movie moguls in Hollywood, but a trilogy director who is convinced of himself yet is confronted harshly by his audience. Or rather by his lack of audience. Written by Anders Thomas Jensen, the productive and versatile writer of Open Hearts and After the Wedding. The clashing egos from the title are played by two great local Danish stars: an almost unrecognisable Ulrich Thomsen as Tony the refuse collector who can’t keep his hands to himself and Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the arrogant film maker Vorten.
When the divorced Tony is allowed to take his children with him one day, all the films are fully booked and they end up in an empty auditorium to see the latest ‘masterpiece’ by Vorten. When his daughter bursts out crying as they watch, Tony can no longer control himself. He wants his money back and from the maker himself. This is the motivation for an unlikely series of events in which Tony suddenly ends up in the place of the scriptwriter of an action film that Vorten has to direct.
Including this scoffing sketch that puts film in perspective in the festival programme should not be taken too seriously – like the film itself doesn’t. (GT) —International Film Festival Rotterdam