The Bench (2000)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Blistering performances.

This Danish masterpiece revels the story of a drunk alcoholic living in the suburbs of Copenhagen. The film represents the underclass of the Danish welfare society and is the 1st of Per Fly praised trilogy.Kaj is an alcoholic living on the money the Danish state is providing him. Him and his friends spend their time drinking beer at a public bench. One day Kaj's life turns upside down when a young lady and her child moves in next to him.The movie shows the life of a person fighting with depression and addiction. Subjects as social inheritance, compassion, honor and shame play a significant role in the movie. The acting of Kaj is done by Jesper Christensen and it's remarkable trustworthy. One of the best performances I've ever seen. The story of Kaj is interesting and sad. It revels the story of a man who lost his track in life and how this affects others around him. It gives perspective on how people differently are dealing with shame, honor and love. It shows a person who have lost his purpose with life and how drinking became his only solution to deal with it. However behind the trashy clothes and smell lies a great person with honor, love and passion.

I can see on the message boards, that this film does not come with English subtitles - only Danish for the hearing impaired, so foreigners don't get much help ... however, the Cinema version should have English subtitles.It is actually a great shame, because this film is not really about something special Scandinavian.Above all, it is good to see, that really good movies touching important themes can be done without a Hollywood budget.There is an old quote in Danish culture: "People say that Jeppe is drinking, but they don't say why Jeppe is drinking". This film illustrates this point very well.But the film is part of a trilogy, so maybe they make a boxed set in the future with English subtitles ... one can only hope.

The Bench gives a no nonsense depiction of the way of alcohol. The road to early death. From an experienced and professional point of view the way is not shown 'alco-holistic' —in surround angles with context feedback from soul to skin—but it is only scattered pictures from the surface: the face of the drinking man, his physical and verbal spasms, his loneliness among alcoholic peers, his mighty thirst, his negative emotions of anger, self hatred, cynicism, and then the sudden rebound of long forgotten family love.From the behavioristic technique of telling the story the audience might wonder what road of excess this man has wandered and why it did not lead to the palace of wisdom.But the film itself doesn't take at stand or offers a story or history of the man and his alcohol. The fixed point of view and the main character is—the Bench. So the story can not move and will not develop. It is sitting on the bench. The love drop to this dying life is only a blurb before the long goodbye. Good setting, good sitting, good acting. Good row of still pictures.Thus, though careful in its objective artistry —excactly why it is not 'cinéma-vérité'—the film is sentimental and deterministic. No source. No lesson. No hope. No change. In great art there is always hope. Especially in tragedy. Where you can track back and learn 'why?' In life it is karma. In literature poetic justice. This is also cinematic. Please the gods. Change the game.

We've all of us seen them: the alcoholics wasting their lives sitting on our cities' benches. What we don't see is the drama behind the alcohol. What struck me while watching Baenken is that it is all so believable and therefore the more painful to watch. The story of this film becomes less important than the leading character's death wish. His cynical attitude towards life and suicidal drinking habits are what sticks in one's mind.Jesper Christensen is masterful in portraying the misery, the shame and hopelessness that go with alcoholism. The drinking bout in which he cries while lying wounded in his apartment is gut wrenching to watch.Not an easy film to watch but definitely worthwhile if one has the stomach for it.