The Commune

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Luke R Jul 12, 2017 The Commune (Collective) 2017â??Whatâ??s the appeal of watching a movie in Danish with subtitles? Well, viewing The Communeâ??s first half is like entering a party-in-progress where every person is attractive and funny. Plus, thereâ??s great period detailsâ??from the 70s cars on the streets of Copenhagen to the hippie haircuts. In addition to all that, we learn that the Danes of 40 years ago celebrated by swimming nude together and spend their nights trading witticisms over rivers of beer and wine. Unfortunately, Utopia never lasts long and free love is never freeâ??and this filmâ??s laughs end abruptly. Imagine if the second half of Old School focused on Frank descending into crippling depression over his crumbling marriage. Despite that rapid tonal shift, The Commune mostly succeeds on the strength of great acting by people who havenâ??t yet seen the inside of a Beverly Hills Botox clinic. Those who donâ??t mind a bit of reading with their drama will find a lot to like. I give it a 7/10. Well worth the $6.99 Amazon rental. See more

Hermione M Jun 6, 2017 Anna (Trine Dyrholm) is a television newswoman; her husband, Erik (Ulrich Thomsen), teaches architecture at a university. When Erik's father passes away, the couple must decide what to do with the huge house that Erik grew up in, as it's too expensive for them to occupy on their own. Erik prefers selling, but Anna - who has become frustrated with Erik's dour outlook and longs for something new - suggests that they use this opportunity to experiment with communal living. Energized by the era's relaxed taboos, Anna and Erik assemble a diverse, rather motley crew of cohabitants and embark on their adventure, but soon take very different paths. While Anna is anxious to stay home and experience life with her new extended family, Erik finds a more traditional way of reinvigorating himself: an affair with one of his students. When Anna tries to reconcile these two situations, the commune - and the marriage at its core - begins to unravel... Thomas Vinterberg´s "The Commune" is a story about personal desires, solidarity and tolerance that ends up in a clash. It´s impossible to not draw a comparison to Swedish director Lukas Moodysson's second full-length film "Together" from 2000 which is also based on communal living in the 70s in Sweden. You might say that "The Commune" is simply Denmark´s version of "Together". However, while "Together" managed to keep a solid line between comedy and drama and keep the characters just on the border of becoming caricatures, "The Commune" fails in doing the same and all the characters just becomes self-absorbed caricatures without any characteristics you like. The story ends up going forward with a low flame and Erik´s battle with his doubts on what he wants from life isn´t all that intriguing. The large ensemble of characters is just bickering socialist hippies that only thinks about themselves while Anna is falling to pieces infront of them and they dont´seem to care. Everything feels like it has been taken out of the "Film for Dummies" book and the only thing that might contain some sort authenticity is the environments and the clothes. And I can´t help to be a bit tired of seeing Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Lars Ranthe etc yet again. The A-List of Danish actors/actresses that seems to occupy every bloody role in Denmark. Time to get in some new blood in the Danish movie industry. Trivia: The film is based on Thomas Vinterberg's play of the same name, which is inspired by his colourful childhood in an academic commune north of Copenhagen. See more

Kylo G Apr 29, 2017 It is not so much about the life of a commune but about the end of a marriage.

Hermione M Apr 7, 2017 The movie is set in the sexually liberated and bohemian 70s in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, we never really see the open-minded and free-spirited lifestyle of that time period. A 40-ish working, successful, beautiful, charismatic, and kind woman is somehow cheated by her aggressive, egocentric, antipathic sourpuss husband. The woman he cheats on her is the unattractive younger version of her with one difference: The younger one has brown eyes and she has blue eyes! She is played by a terrible and straightfaced actress (...why was she cast? She's the young wife of the director, that's why. Probably the movie is displaying their own loser life). The cheated woman (who is played by the glorious and talented Trine Dyrholm!!) ends up being ignored, unloved, fired from her job, criticized by her teenage-slutty daughter, inebriated and eventually kicked out of her well-loved Commune which she established. Great message overall?! That's supposed to represent the sexually liberated and offbeat 70s? Denmark being a Scandinavian country is frontrunner in celebrating emancipated and strong women, but the movie fails in its presentation of a strong-willed woman in making her instead an undignified, weak and ostracized woman. Maybe next time a woman should apologise for getting old and unfertile, since younger versions without any character, charisma and brains are preferrred by narcissistic, ruthless creatures who just happen to generate sperms - to call them "men" would be an act of kindness on my part which I will gladly not show - neither for this movie which is Thomas Vinterberg's worst movie to date. See more

Hermione R Mar 9, 2017 Powerful every now an then, grotesque sometimes as the character played by Fares Fares (Allon)...globaly OK. The slow downfall of Anna who's responsible for it is as far as I'm concerned the best part of the movie. See more

Hagrid P Nov 3, 2015 It has a hard time focusing, and the double sad ending was unnecessary and yet inevitable. However, it does have a nice atmosphere and good actors. See more

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The Commune

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