Attention: You should read the instructions for film responses again. For a "quality effort" grade, be sure to focus on the film work in ONE moment from the film per paragraph. Your document name should be "LastName.FirstName.FR5.S20"
Few films are as shocking and intrusive as this film, but it manages to be shocking and intrusive in the best way possible. We are exposed to the long-lasting effects of emotional trauma without having to live through the trauma itself. But then there is the trauma of the film as a film; many viewers undergo an emotionally traumatic experience when they watch Festen, and I think we can account for this effect by looking at how the movie is made, not just what happens in the story.
When he signed his Vow of Chastity, Thomas Vinterberg promised to break through the illusions that have turned films into predictable, barren, and superficial storytelling. Instead of "an illusion of pathos and an illusion of love," he wanted to present a less filtered experience, to the extent that he could with a camera in hand, and allow the inner experience and mindset of the characters to direct the path of events. In Festen, we have a film that wants, above all, to be realistic and immediate.
The way the film is made, then, corresponds to the story being told. When Christian stands up to make his "speeches" or offer his "toasts," he is attempting to break through the illusion of his father's status in the eyes of his attending family members. He seems to be the only who knows the truth, apart from the cooks and service staff, but he is willing to stand up over and over to make the truth heard. To do so, he must risk being ridiculed, but he must also revisit the terror of his childhood by confronting his father.
Now here is your prompt: First, does this film seem more truthful than most of the films you have seen? In what ways does it cut through the "illusion of pathos" or "illusion of love" that other films tend to show us? Or do you think that this film is a failed attempt to break through those illusions? Why so? Second, do you think Christian is successful in breaking through the illusion, and is he better off for doing so? In turn, for film directors, is the Vow of Chastity a step in the right direction, or should we want them to maintain the illusions?
