The Commune

3rd Danish Film Festival

Cinema 4, Shang Cineplex

1975, Erik inherits a huge house upon the death of his father, his wife Anna decides it would be a good idea to turn it into a commune. A motley crew of random people are interviewed and soon they become inhabitants of this suburban Copenhagen house. To keep things in order, they each are given chores to do within the house and every evening they 'report' about their daily activities. In short, they share everything.

Things are going well until Erik (an architecture professor) begins an affair with one of his students. After he was caught by his 14 year old daughter, he tells his wife about it but instead of kicking him out of the commune, she invites the younger woman to come live with them. Perhaps she didn't want any scandal given that she is known TV broadcaster yet it is at that precise point that the film starts to stagger. 

The mental and emotional toll on Anna is painful to watch yet it is quite realistically portrayed by the Danish actress. Trying desperately to keep a stoic facade yet slowly spiraling out of control is a difficult role for any actress to imbibe. She did a good job and is the main draw of the film.

It is to be said that only a Danish film can do justice to this controversial setup that was quite common in that Scandinavian country during the early 1970s. I always thought of people from Denmark as free spirited people and this film just proves my point.