Min far er bokser (My Dad Is a Champ) is a short film directed by Morten Giese. What first drew me to this Scandinavian short was Frederik Christian Johansen. You may remember him from my review of En som Hodder โ he made a huge impression on me there, and his performance here only confirmed everything I believed about his talent.
In the film, Johansen plays Stefan โ a ten-year-old who has taken up boxing, following in the footsteps of a father who, as far as he knows, is a champion competing on the international stage, travelling almost all the time. Stefan’s passion reminded me of myself playing handball โ the same position my dad played when he was competing. His case, however, is different: he hasn’t seen his father in years. On his tenth birthday, the usual package from his father doesn’t arrive, so Stefan takes his little brother and goes into the city to find him. Will he succeed in his quest? What would his father say?
The cinematography of Min far er bokser sets it apart from many Scandinavian films. Instead of vivid colors, the director chose subtle ones, with a lot of shadows. The story has been done before โ I can think of several films that share its plot โ yet it feels distinct, entirely its own. While I was watching it, my eyes filled with tears in one of the final scenes โ and that’s a clear signal that the movie evoked emotions in me, which on its own means that it must be good. If you have the chance to see this short film (25 minutes) โ do it. I highly recommend it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0453381/
