4.0 out of 5 stars
A strong pair of films about adolescence, July 14, 2011
This review is from: Twist and Shout / Zappa (DVD)
My thoughts on the two films;
Zappa (1983)
A dark portrait of 3 adolescent boys in 1961 Denmark.
On the minus side, the world, and much of the plot is familiar and
predictable, and some of the supporting parts, especially the parents
are shallow to the point of caricature.
On the plus side, the film is beautifully shot, very well acted,
disturbing in its violence, and gives the boys a lot of nice, specific
and complex character touches.
Despite some of moments of 'I've seen this before' early on, I was
moved and caught up by the end.
Twist and Shout (1984)
Another solid film from August about adolescence in Denmark the 60s (1963 this time), this
is even a little stronger than `Zappa', if not quite up to Roy Andersson's great `A Swedish Love Story'
which bears some surface resemblance. The Scandinavians seem to have a knack for making
emotionally complex films about adolescence.
*Mild spoilers ahead*
Again some of this feels very familiar (first love, leading to pregnancy
and to abortion that ruins the romance), and some feels a bit forced or unrealistic
(would the parents of an upper-class, clearly upwardly mobile and socially conscious
family really be quite so positive about their daughter marrying a boy from a humble
working class home?). But the two male leads are very good, and there's a lot of
specifics and idiosyncrasies that outweigh the clichés.
Overall a worthwhile and intelligent duo of films, even if the ground covered is familiar.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great movies, difficult putting subtitles, February 24, 2011
This review is from: Twist and Shout / Zappa (DVD)
I am giving this product 4 stars because of the excellent movies. However, the subtitles are very difficult to get to work. I tried switching the DVD from my blu-ray to a regular DVD player, but it did not make much of a difference.
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