WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
To do what is required of us. Does this notion remain a constant in our day to day lives? Whether we find it via our jobs, within the context of maintaining and/or providing for our family, holding to a promise to a friend, or in simply acknowledging something we are seeking to make come about, it is hoped that the tasks at hand are ones we RELISH and DESIRE to accomplish. However, what does it feel like when said responsibility is one we would rather totally, utterly avoid? A a local morgue, Karl (Leif Andrée) has a wrenching decision to contemplate in the wake of loss. But even as he struggles with this choice, little does he know that circumstances will manifest that will change his entire outlook on not just the present, but the power of friendship and needed healing in the face of death.
Next, my Mind:
An intelligently crafted, dynamically compelling amalgamation of heart-stirring dramatic potency and highly unanticipated comedic levity that will impact your entire concept of dealing with grief, this now officially Oscar-nominated short film from writer/director Lasse Lyskjær Noer, producers Kim Magnusson and Christian Norlyk plus associated producer Hanne Bruun stands as a shining example amongst so many a deservingly exceptional group of films this awards season that keep proving brevity is an unequivocal recipe for presenting necessary and affecting messages we as human beings need to ponder and embrace. In its 25-minute runtime, we’re given believability, grounded moral lessons, and a degree of entertainment one might not anticipate from an effort focused on the themes it conveys so effectively and with pure deftness of execution. This critic honestly remains totally surprised at the direction this film takes, and absolutely applauds it.
Through a narrative that sees one man’s totally understandable trepidations and hesitations about a final duty he must undertake, the inner fight to NOT perform it, and the chance run-in with another person while in the throes of overwhelming emotional turmoil that alters his views of it all radically and impactfully, the pacing here is beautifully and purposefully executed to keep the viewer both engaged and guessing, all while striking you with the aforementioned (albeit hinted at) twists and turns the story takes that create an atmosphere of sadness and joy, despair and hope, and mutually shared desire for liberation of mind, heart, and soul in confronting things we would rather not accept, AND provide actual moments to laugh as well. This is creative and well-constructed storytelling at its pinnacle, and again, it makes this effort SO amazingly fresh and entirely non-predictable.
The exploration of how we as people wish to do everything we can do (at least more often than not I would say) to steer clear of ANY situation that challenges us with a reality that isn’t to our liking, benefit, or willingness to acquiesce to is the foundational thematic foray here, and while in itself not anything we haven’t seen expanded on before, it’s HOW the narrative addresses it that allows this film to stand out wonderfully and with the magnitude of truthful influence that it carries. Watching as our own situation can be then changed by the state of affairs another individual is facing, revealing our own uncertainties and fears, making us face them, learning how we tend to far too quickly judge others and their intentions or actions when we don’t have the full picture, and then recognizing the REAL beauty in human connection that’s so desperately lost in this world currently all gets looked at throughout the course of the story with revelations in the second and third acts that cement this as the understandably award-worthy project it is. The undeniable strength of memories and music is tangibly forceful here to magnificently tangible degrees.
Andree is pure magic here, offering a performance that is so subtle, nuanced, and yet full of vitality and deeply effective emotive prowess through his role as Karl, a man on the verge of total collapse when it comes to a decidedly unbearable process he’s facing at the local morgue. Attempting to do ANYTHING he can to avoid the responsibility (much less adoption) of an actuality he’s wholeheartedly devastated by and not coping well with, Karl has a equally unforeseen run-in with another man at the morgue whose affable but also quietly haunted personality ends up taking Karl on a journey of quirky turns, awkward instances, but an ultimately cathartic path that will see a newfound bond and sought after balm for the pain of loss that he never saw coming or most likely thought could be possible. It’s an thoroughly credible, moving, and fantastically acted performance Andree gives, drawing us in from start to finish with complete skill and finesse.
Primary supporting turns arrive first from Jens Jørn Spottag as Torben, the man Karl has quite a hilarious first meeting with but whose seeming eccentricity and playfully overbearing demeanor soon gives way to a much more meaningful but heart-breaking truth. Spottag infuses the character with such a superb combination of intentionally annoying “clinginess” then totally endearing authenticity which acts as foil and release for Karl as their soon shared interactions commence and intertwine into something neither might have imagined overall–common ground. Jesper Lohmann arrives as Portor, the head of the morgue who has ended up being a guide for both Karl and Torben in their respective journeys while still at first managing to remain detached from it all yet still invested in his patron’s well-being, even if not always understanding perhaps their particular quirks while also having to recite “the company line” to people. You see when you watch the film. A perfect supporting character for this story and very well enacted by Lohmann who gives Portor his empathetic yet distant manner adeptly.
Additional supporting turns arrive from Oliver Due as Soren, Portor’s somewhat hapless assistant-in-training who has the rather–hestitant–opportunity to also speak the company line while proving he may not yet be ready for this new position, Dick Kaysø as a mourner whose tie to Karl and Torben’s adventures is a stunner, Bodil Lassen as Lotte, Margit Christensen as Karen, a major key to Karl’s plight and anxiousness he’s encountering, plus Dorte Rømer, Michael Martini, Susanne Storm, Andreas Rasbak, Karina Lundbech Mortensen, Melanie Sorensen, Nadine Sorensen, and Virgil Hostrup Damkjær. So, in total, “Knight Of Fortune” is a splendid piece of short film excellence that tackles issues of avoidance and aguish with uncompromising power yet discovers a way to allow this to be fused together with comical substance to lighten the mood while not losing the significance of the messages it brings to bear. May we all be able to take from this story an encouragement to be open to others in times of need, even if it happens to start with a stranger, because you never know where essential freedom of perspective and BEING might come from.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
