A Horrible Woman

Rasmus is a calm man living in his own flat in his own order. He meets Marie and it begins quickly. She moves in. Then the small things start: where the furniture goes, remarks about his friends, what he wears, when he calls whom. Each time he gives way because he does not want an argument. A year later he does not know how to behave in his own home. Christian Tafdrup directs, from a screenplay written with his brother Mads Tafdrup. The starting point is an argument. Against the relationship films told from a man's view in Denmark, this one builds a woman directly as the party applying psychological pressure, and softens nothing; it caused a wide argument in the country on release. The narrative proceeds entirely from Rasmus's view and the film does not hide that this is one sided. The tension comes not from violence but from ordinary conversation; a dinner, a shopping trip or a phone call can be the most oppressive passages. Christian Tafdrup later became known for Speak No Evil, where he used the same method: describing how politeness paralyses a person. It is short and tightly built, with no unnecessary scenes. Who it is for: viewers who follow Scandinavian cinema and uncomfortable relationship films. Who it is not for: it is maddening to watch, it is one sided, and neither character is in a position to be defended.