Screening the North: Cool Films Coming Down the Track

Summary

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Eighteen-year-old Dick is an outsider in the poor mining town of Esterslope. One day he comes across a gun. The alluring power of the weapon overcomes the pacifist teen, who names the revolver [WENDY]. Dick soon gathers the town's misfits into an armed gang, The Dandies. They carry personally named weapons, which instills the defiant youngsters with a sense of unity and identity. The main Dandy rule is to never pull a gun. But soon a brother in arms is forced to challenge the number one rule. [Thomas Winterberg], the acclaimed filmmaker behind Cannes winner "The Celebration" (1998) and "It's All About Love" (2002). Opening in November, "Dear Wendy" is Vinterberg's second English-language film. The screenplay was written by Lars von Trier ("The Idiots", "Breaking the Waves" and "Dogville").

Amidst fast cars and easy money, the first "Push er" (1996) followed Frank, a heroin dealer, on a violent cruise through the underbelly of Copenhagen. The sequel is the story of Frank's partner Tony, just out of prison when he discovers he has a child and a big debt to his father, one of Copenhagen's most feared criminals. Meanwhile, Croatian kingpin Milo tries to fortify his position in the drug world, celebrate his daughter's birthday and attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting on the same day. Beside the box-office successes "Pusher" and "Bleeder" (199 8) Winding Refn also made "Fear X", an English-language Canadian-Danish coproduction. Pusher II" opens during the Christmas holidays in Denmark.

Moodyson won Sweden's main film award for his debut, "Show Me Love" (1998), and notoriety as the nation's Angry Young Man when he delivered a defiant anti-establishment acceptance award. His follow-ups, "Together" (2002) and "Lilja 4-Ever" cemented his international reputation as one of Europe's most interesting young directors. "A Hole In My Heart" opened in September in Sweden.

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Screening the North: Cool Films Coming Down the Track

DENMARK

DEAR WENDY

Directed by Thomas Winterberg

Eighteen-year-old Dick is an outsider in the poor mining town of Esterslope. One day he comes across a gun. The alluring power of the weapon overcomes the pacifist teen, who names the revolver Wendy. Dick soon gathers the town's misfits into an armed gang, The Dandies. They carry personally named weapons, which instills the defiant youngsters with a sense of unity and identity. The main Dandy rule...

See the full content of this document

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