Minor Mishaps

Share now:

Movie Review by Alice Castle

Starring: Jorgen Kiil, Maria Wurgler Rich, Jannie Faurschou, Henrik Prip, Jesper Christensen

Director: Annette K Olesen

If you enjoyed Thomas Vinterberg’s rather grey comedy FESTEN (aka CELEBRATION) you’ll enjoy MINOR MISHAPS – another tale of dysfunctional family relationships in modern Denmark. Following the death of family matriarch Ulla (Vigga Bro) who is killed in a road accident, husband of 46 years John (Jorgen Kill), and their three adult children come together to make sense of life without her. Youngest daughter Marianne (Maria Wurgler Rich), who despite having her own flat two doors down has never quite managed to fly the nest and is devoted to her father, immediately takes over the role of her mother in the parental household.

Sibling rivalries die hard and older sister, lesbian artist and poet Eva (Jannie Faurschou), returns to the family to reinstate her position as eldest female, claiming she never loved her mother and feels resentful of the others relationships. Her brother Tom (Henrik Prip), a successful businessman has his own marital issues to deal with and seems to fail miserably with the whole work-life balance.

MINOR MISHAPS is the most honest portrayal of family life I’ve seen in a long time – full of all the jealousies, resentments, laughter and love too. Filmed on hand-held cameras, it retains a real fly-on-the-wall quality throughout, and the actors carry you along with wonderful ease leaving you in doubt about what’s really going on with the skeletons in the closet.

5 out of 6 stars