[quote_center]” Best friends find you when you least expect them “[/quote_center]
My friend Joe is a classic coming-of-age film. Directed by Chris Bould, the film is based on the book Janne, min vän written by Swedish author Peter Pohl.
my friend Joe tells the story of the unlikely friendship between two 12 year olds: Chris, who is Irish, and an American named Joe. Joe mysteriously appears in Chris’s small Irish town, impressing him and his friends with amazing cycling skills.
But get ready for a surprise …because, despite the name, Joe isn’t a boy ….and you wouldn’t be the only one surprised to discover that. And no, I did not spoil the film for you, as Joe’s personality becomes clear from the first minutes of the movie. Yet, I can assure you that this doesn’t make my friend Joe a predictable or boring film. On the contrary, the story is told in a way that will keep you glued to the screen during the film’s entire 90 minutes.
I loved the atmosphere in this film – it felt like watching Stand By Me, with elements from Mickybo and Me and The Cure thrown in for good measure. Chris’s obsession with books and adventures reminded me of when I was his age, and his attitude towards girls isn’t much different than what mine has always been. For one thing it’s rather easier to buddy up with people of your own gender. It’s a classic issue really – can there exist a real, pure friendship between a boy and a girl or is gender tension always bound to appear?
The film offers an interesting view of that question as the friendship between Chris and Joe flourishes when they are buddying up – even if Chris is not aware that Joe unwillingly has a gender-bender role. Chris grows fond of Joe because of the amazing bicycle stunts and boyish bravado and has no idea that Jan is really a girl who is a trapeze artist in a traveling circus. What he senses is that his friend is harboring a secret – a secret he is bound to discover…
“sometimes you can’t tell everything – even to a best friend”
my friend Joe is an engaging and exciting coming-of-age drama that I highly recommend. Schuyler Fisk delivers an outstanding performance in the challenging role of Joe — projecting toughness, vulnerability and girlish sensitivity all in one. The rest of the cast also did a good job.
This film won the Silver Bear at the 1996 Berlin Film Festival.
PS: I have not read the book Janne, min vän – but, judging from the IMBD commentaries, it seems that it is a real masterpiece. So, if you get a chance to confirm the validity of this statement, let me know!
It is no secret to anyone that I am a fan of Antonio Jose. I wrote my first article about him back in 2006 – followed by an additional five which more or less were speculations on the possibility that he would release his second CD. Now his album Todo Vuelve A Empezar is already released and, not surprisingly, everyone who waited patiently for its release can confirm that it was worth the wait. Knowing that many of the readers of theskykid.com like Antonio’s music, I decided to ask him for an interview. He agreed and you can read the interview below:
Hello Antonio and thank you for agreeing to this exclusive interview for theskykid.com. I am quite excited to have you as a guest at my blog, as I have been following your career for years . We agreed to do this interview in Engish and Spanish, so that more people can read it.
Antonio Jose : Yes. I have had and shortly I will again. In 1993, when I got the first prize of Veo Veo, from the Foundation of Teresa Rabal, they gave me a scholarship to study for 6 months in an academy to form the voice. On my own now, due to my next tour, I’m going to prepare with a vocal tutor.
Antonio Jose : Si, cuando gané en el 2003 el primer premio Veo Veo, de la Fundación Teresa Rabal, me dieron una beca de 6 meses para una academia de estudios para formar la voz. Ahora, con motivo de mi próxima gira también voy prepararme con un tutor vocal.
theskykid.com : Who would you say has had the biggest musical influence on you?
theskykid.com :¿Quién dirías que te ha influenciado más musicalmente?
Antonio Jose : My mother was the one who realized that I could sing and the one who encouraged me to participate in the contests Veo Veo (2003 and 2005) as well as in television in Eurojunior (2005).
Antonio Jose : Mi madre fue la que se dio cuenta de que podía cantar y la que me animó a participar en los concursos Veo Veo (2003 y 2005) así como en televisión en Eurojunior (2005).
theskykid.com : How has your music evolved since the “Te traigo flores” days?
theskykid.com :¿Cómo ha evolucionado tu música desde los días de “Te traigo flores”?
Antonio Jose : My music has evolved as I’ve gotten older and as the rest of the world has, hehehe. On one hand, the new disc has changed from the FLAMECO sound of the first album to return to more of a pop sound. But, on the other hand, the songs on the new disc are more international. The new disc TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR (All Begins Again) shows, through its lyrics, the different things that happen to teenagers in a positive and amusing way. The differences between people are the reason for the different musical styles in this disc. But, on the other hand, everybody wants to be part of something. Just look at FACEBOOK or TUENTI. This disc tries to bring everyone together.
Antonio Jose : A evolucionado como mi edad y como el mundo!!, jejeje. Aparte de cambiar los aires aflamencados del primer disco y volverme más pop, mis canciones ahora son más internacionales. El nuevo álbum “TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR” refleja en sus letras esas cosas que nos pasan a los chicos y chicas de nuestra edad de una manera positiva y divertida, y en su música lo diferentes que somos, de ahí que cada tema sea de un estilo musical. Pero en el fondo todos queremos pertenecer a algo, y si no mírate el Facebook o el Tuenti. Este disco pretende ser un punto de unión.
theskykid.com : Why was there such a large gap between the release of your first CD and this new one? Were you working on other projects during that time?
theskykid.com :¿Por qué ha pasado tanto tiempo desde la salida de tu primer CD y la de éste? ¿Has estado trabajando en otros proyectos durante todo este tiempo?
Antonio Jose : We decided to spend more time in the preparation of the new disc, to be sure about which was the best road to follow. Besides that, a proposal to change the musical style by my producer caused a lot of the delay. But once the project started, everything went ok and quickly and, for me, the most important thing is the result and my feeling is the disc is fantastic! What do you think about it?
Antonio Jose : Hemos querido tomarnos con más calma la preparación del nuevo disco, escuchamos muchísimas canciones antes de decidir qué camino seguir. Además, la propuesta del cambio de estilo musical realizada por mi productor influyó mucho en el retraso. Pero una vez echó a andar el proyecto, todo fluyo bien y rápidamente. El resultado final es lo más importante para mí, y creo que ha valido la pena esperar. Y vosotros que opináis?
theskykid.com : You seem to have weathered your voice change just fine. Your music seems to be as popular as ever. Do you have any indication from fan mail, etc. that you’ve retained fans from when you were younger and/or have gained new fans since your voice has matured?
theskykid.com : Parece que has llevado el cambio de tu voz bastante bien. Tu música parece ser tan popular como siempre. ¿Tienes noticias provenientes de correos de fans, etc. que indiquen que mantienes fans de cuando eras más joven y/o has ganado nuevos fans desde que tu voz ha madurado?
Antonio Jose :My voice has been maturing, as is usual for my age, but I have managed to maintain my identity.
Concerning your comments about fans… although a lot has happened between the first album to this new one, my relationship with my earlier fans has been growing up and by now we are friends. They supported me back then and I’m sure that they will continue to do so now and I thank them so much. In the same way, I would like to gain more fans due to this second album and know that, in the end, they will become my friends too.
Antonio Jose : Mi voz ha ido madurando, es cosa de la edad, pero he logrado mantener mi identidad.
Sobre lo que comentas de los fans, pese al tiempo que ha pasado, aquellos que en su día me dieron todo su apoyo se han convertido en mis amigos, a los cuales les estoy tremendamente agradecido. Y si con el nuevo trabajo consigo nuevos amigos, bienvenidos serán. Cuantos más seamos mejor.
theskykid.com : In a video clip of the making of “Todo Vuelve A Empezar”, I noticed there was someone who appeared to be a conductor in the video with you. Who was that?
theskykid.com :En el videoclip del como se hizo “Todo vuelve a empezar”, noté que había alguien que parecía ser un presentador en el vídeo contigo. ¿Quién era?
Antonio Jose : Hehehe. He is not a conductor. He is my producer,Crister Garcia, and during the recording of the disc he was inside the cabin with me to give me all the relevant instructions for getting the best interpretation of each song. I would like to point out that all that you can see in the video is absolutely true and direct; it is the actual making of the record of the songs.
Antonio Jose : Jejeje. No es un presentador, es mi productor Crister García. Durante la grabación del disco entraba conmigo en la cabina para darme las indicaciones oportunas para extraer todo lo mejor de mí en la interpretación de cada canción. Todo lo que veis en los vídeos es riguroso directo.
theskykid.com : Besides your own official website, there is at least one very popular fansite, plus a number of bloggers like myself who have written about you and your music for several years. Are you aware of the hype?
theskykid.com :Aparte de tu web oficial, hay al menos una web de fans bastante popular, aparte de una buena cantidad de blogueros como yo que han escrito sobre ti y tu música durante años. ¿Eres consciente de la expectación generada?
Antonio Jose : I am concious of the expectations of those waiting to listen to my second album. You can be sure that I’ve been nervous about it as well. That has motivated me to do my best so that everyone will not be disappointed.
Regarding your comments about the web… I want to clarify that we have done a new official website: www.antoniojose.com with all the material relating to this new second album “All Begins Again”. On the site there are also links to ANTONIOJOSE.AJ at Facebook, ANTONIOJOSEAT at Twitter, ANTONIO JOSE CLUB AJ at Tuenti and Youtube.com/CLUBAJ
The arrival of the album in the shops is due by the end of November. All the people who buy this second album directly will be members of CUL AJ and all of these friends will be able to participate in my next videoclips. We have a lot of things pending and there will be more news about them soon.
Antonio Jose :Soy consciente de la expectación, los nervios se unen a la ilusión y eso me motiva a darlo todo para todos vosotros.
Aprovecho que lo has comentado, mi nueva web oficial www.antoniojosemusic.com se ha hecho para concentrar todo los contenidos e información sobre el nuevo disco “TODO VUELVE A EMPEZAR”. Junto a ella, tenemos los canales ANTONIOJOSE.AJ de facebook, ANTONIOJOSEAJ en Twitter, ANTONIO JOSE CLUB AJ en Tuenti y Youtube.com/CLUBAJ.
Además, con la puesta a la venta de disco en formato CD para finales del próximo mes de Noviembre, todos los que lo compren en este formato o lo hayan comprado en digital en Internet pasarán automáticamente a formar parte del CLUB AJ. Los amigos y amigas que pertenezcan a este club podrán participar en mis próximos videoclips de internet así como en concursos. Muchas cosas están por venir! Y nos lo pasaremos genial!
theskykid.com : So what’s next? Do have any plans for another CD? For tours? Spain? US?
theskykid.com :¿Qué es lo siguiente? ¿Tienes planes para otro CD? ¿O una gira española o norteamericana?
Antonio Jose : Step by step. Now, we are preparing for the tour for this new album, which I hope will take us to many places in the world. Now, is your turn to ask for our concert in the theaters and other venues in your cities… After the tour, we don’t have specific plans, but I’m sure that really good things will occur.
Antonio Jose : Paso a paso. Ahora preparamos la gira de este nuevo álbum, la cual espero que pueda llegar a muchos lugares del mundo. Os tocará a vosotros pedir nuestro concierto a vuestros teatros y ayuntamientos.
theskykid.com : Is there anything you want to add ?
theskykid.com :¿Te gustaría añadir algo?
Antonio Jose : Thank you very much to your magazine for dedicating these lines to me. It is a real honor. I want to thank my fans and friends for their support. They are the best! A very big kiss! AJ
Antonio Jose : Muchas gracias a vuestra revista por dedicarme estas líneas, es todo un honor, y sobre todo a mis fans y amigos por estar ahí, por su apoyo que para mí es lo más grande. Un beso muy grande! AJ
I don’t usually write negative reviews, as most of the time I am well prepared for what I am about to see when I pick a new film. ¨The White Ribbon¨ surprised me as it turned out quite different than what I imagined it would be.
First of all, the film is not coming of age – or at least not if you consider the individual, as one may argue that the director portrays the coming of age of a whole society (the white ribbon of the title symbolizes an innocence that has now been lost).
To start with, I was mislead by the description of the film at Wikipedia. According to it:
¨The screenplay focuses on a children’s choir in a village in northern Germany just before World War I¨.
After reading that, and looking at the film’s front cover, I expected that the film would be similar to ¨Les choristes¨ and be a bit focused on music. Instead, I watched a psychological portrayal of the society in a small rural village in Germany.
Most of the time while watching the film I was trying to grasp its meaning and the relation between the scenes and the ideas which the director wanted to express. This was not an easy task as Michael Haneke seemingly aimed to make his film as chaotic and challenging to interpret as possible. Despite the symbolism in the film and the intriguing narration, I was rather bored by the film – partly because I found the action too slow. Thankfully, the majority of the actors were talented enough to make the viewer interested in the events in which their characters participated. Puritanism, discipline, violence and abuse are the interrelated themes which are integrated into the storyline.
Despite being a new production, the entire film is shot in black and white, which I think was a good cinematographic decision. The film won several awards, including the Palme d’Or at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival – yet I hesitate recommending it.
Min far er bokser (My Dad Is a Champ) is a short film directed by Morten Giese. What drew me initially to this Scandinavian short film was the fact that Frederik Christian Johansen stars in it. You may remember Frederik Christian Johansen from my review of En som Hodder. He made a huge impression on me in that film and his performance in “Min far er bokser” only confirmed my firm affirmation of his talent and acting skills.
In the film, Frederik Christian Johansen plays Stefan – a ten year old boy who practices boxing, following in the footsteps of his father who, as far as he knows, is a boxing champion who competes on the international stage and travels almost all the time. The passion of Stephen reminded me of myself doing handball – playing at the same position my dad did when he was competing. Stephen’s case however is a bit different – as he hasn’t seen his father in years. On his tenth birthday, Stefan doesn’t get the usual package in the mail from his father and he decides to go find him. Will he succeed in his quest? What would his father say?
The cinematography of “Min far er bokser” has a different style than the one typical for many Scandinavian films. Instead of vivid colors, the director decided to use more subtle ones, with a lot of shadows. The story has been done before (I can think of at least several things sharing a similar plot) – yet however feels distinct to the film. While I was watching it, my eyes filled with tears in one of the final scenes – 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) – do it – I highly recommend it .
I am really excited about the review of the new Russian film Ласковый Май ( Gentle May), as it is a movie that combines both of my passions – coming of age films and great, uplifting treble music. The movie in question focuses on the creation of the group Ласковый Май in which boys who came out of childrens’ homes (orphans) became one of the best bands in Russia. This happened thanks to their talent and the amazing lyrics written by the poet and musician Sergei Kuznetsov, who at that time worked as a teacher of music in the same Orenburg orphanage. The group was formed on Dec. 6, 1986 by him and the young soloist Yuri Shatunov – only thirteen years old at that time.
Before continuing with the review of the film I would like to honor Sergei Kuznetsov – who over the years helped many people to realize their dreams. I have written several times about projects of his such as Steklovata, Alis and Chernila dlya pyatogo klassa. You can visit his official site where you can find a lot of information about his projects and his art works – such as poems and prose .
Back to the film — I found it really enjoyable and loved every minute of it. The cinematography is quite modern and the plot easy to follow. There are many comical scenes, many inspirational and, my favorite of all, those featuring music. The young cast is talented and well directed which influenced the film quality greatly. Admittingly, as someone who has seen a lot of Russian films – I must note that the style of directing for “Ласковый Май ” is quite different from some such as “Ivanovo detstvo” or “Koktabel”.
Even if the film is enjoyable – it doesn’t have the artful value which I typically associate with the Russian cinema. What’s more, Sergei Kuznetsov said that he liked the story, but at times he departed from the true story of the group creation and success. Yet, I am sure that many people who are unaware of this departure from the real story (which, by the way, is available in writing at Sergey’s site) would enjoy the story the way it is told in the film.
I viewed the film in Russian, but I’m sure that versions in other languages will soon be available. What I am hoping for is that many people will see it, will listen to the wonderful Russian music and eventually may decide to help Sergei Kuznetsov — who has never stopped creating wonderful music. Most of the time he distributes that music for free , but you may decide to support him and his studio by donating or getting some exclusive materials as described at his site. That would made a difference in the lives of many young people – who love the music and want to be part of its creation.
Finally, I have decided to include an original concert recording of the group Ласковый Май performing back in the 90s. I know that if you like it as much as I do- you will find a way to see the film as well.
And before checking out the usual film screenshots – here is an original photo of Ласковый Май :
After seeing the Spanish film “Cobrades” yesterday – I felt that I need to write more on the theme of violence at schools and cruelty in general. Some of the scenes from Cobrades showed how some beating scenes were videotaped with the mobile phones of the students. Then these clips spread around – either uploaded to some video site or sold to other students – that practice is becoming fashionable these days as confirmed by the Ukrainian documentary ” Gene of cruelty ” ( Ген жестокости) – on which I am going to focus this review.
In terms of cinematography ” Gene of cruelty” won`t offer you something innovative – it follows the documentary templates which include sharing of several real life stories, combined with extra footage and interviews with several scholars and a focus group consisting of young children aged 6 to 20. What makes this documentary different from the rest is the usage of a lot of visual art to demonstrate the nature of cruelty and violence, mostly by displaying drawings of children and attempting a psychological analysis of them.
One of the explanations of child cruelty in the documentary are the films and the video games. Nothing new – you would say – yes that has been said many times before – but after a controlled experiment, it was proven that the reason behind the violence is the fact that, surrounded by so much violence from TV and films – it becomes harder for the child to feel for or care for others. Another possible explanation was that now-a-days many kids spend a lot of time online and in front of the TV screen instead of being out playing with people from their own age group. A reason for this often is that various activities such as dancing, skating, boxing, attending the swimming pool – are usually very expensive, often unaffordable for the kids’ parents.
I think that Gene of cruelty, while not being original, is a good documentary and, if you are interested in psychology or involved in some social projects, you will benefit from seeing it. As of the moment the film is only available in the Russian language.
Cavka is a film from the former Republic of Yugoslavia which shows the struggle of two boys, from different backgrounds, to become friends — regardless of the social expectations which their parents and teachers have prepared for them. Slobodan Negic plays one of the lead roles as a smart kid – who is expected to perform up to the demanding expectations of his father. His opposite number is the homeless, orphaned Cavka , portrayed by Marko Ratic.
After seeing the initial scenes, which were quite lyrical and melancholic, I more or less was able to get into the mood of the film. It reminded me of Warden of the Dead – which is another East European film I saw recently. Unlike it, however, Chavka focused on the friendship between the two boys – a friendship which develops throughout the film.
There are a lot of philosophical references in the film – from the feelings of the parents towards their kids, of the kids towards their peers and of the adults towards each other. I would not be surprised if Cavka finds its way in some of the Social Studies or Physiology studies in some schools, as it provides good possibilities for analysis. Throughout the film, I was not really able to associate the characters or the events on screen to my own experience – up until the last scene when the school psychologist speaks with one of the boys after the departure of his friend. I was deeply moved by her words and decided to quote them in this review – so even if you don’t have the chance to see the film you can read them :
“Life consists, among other things, of successes and failures. Failure is as equally an important part of life as success is. The one who can’t comprehend is in danger of being miserable often and long lasting. Your friendship with Cavka is your big success, as is his with you. lt is a success to reach a big, nice, impassive friendship.
And you reached it.
Cavka’s leaving is not your failure. lt is a failure of us grown ups, of the whole society. Unfortunately, you are the only one to percieve it as failure, because society is impersonal, and friendship is personal.
And your loss is quite personal. So, Cavka’s leaving is not your failure, but your loss, and we must face losses because they are part of our lives. Soon… “
Generally speaking, I hesitate to recommend the film as it gets a little odd at times and most likely many viewers would get bored at one time or another. I know I did – even though there were several good scenes – the rest felt a bit dull and depressing . Yet the young leads deliver good performances as does the rest of the cast. So if you decide to give it a shot – let me know what you thought of it after seeing it.
Once you make an award winning short film – are you going to keep on and make another one ? The answer to this question is Yes for Luke Snellin, whose name you may remember from my review of his previous film ” Mixtape ” . Luke Snellin’s new film is called Patrick and it deals with issues such as violence at school ( read bullying ) and the dreams of a young boy to get away from and/or deal with it.
The film already has had several screenings at festivals during the year and gathered quite a few awards. The response from the festival screenings was so good that it is planned to adapt Patrick into a feature film in 2010. The young Matthew Shanfari -who is cast in the leading role in “Patrick” – has some acting experience and talent which could not be missed by the audience. The film`s director setup quite a nice blog to promote his film ( on which you can also find out insights of its shooting and of the shooting of Mixtape ) and you should definitely pay it a visit.
While my impressions from the 11 minutes long ” Patrick ” are based solely on the trailer that is available online – I think that the cinematography of the film seems quite decent and I can`t wait for my chance to see all of it.
It all started with a book I stumbled upon today – “Le petit Nicolas” by René Goscinny. I found the book rather accidentally, but five minutes after I started reading it I was laughing aloud and have become a fan of Nicolas and the unique humor of René Goscinny. The book consists of a series of short stories describing the adventures of a little French boy -and all of them told in the first person by Nicolas himself. (I actually sent an enthusiastic tweet just a few minutes after discovering the book).
I loved the book for several reasons. Not only was the humor amazing , but I was able to identify with Nicolas and look at the world through his eyes – which resulted in me remembering many wonderful moments from my own childhood. So here I am laughing , day dreaming – thinking that if someone were to make a film out of these stories, it would be a good move. So I get home, launch Google to do some research on the book and its author ( who also happened to be an Amazing illustrator – Lucky Luke, Astérix) and wow – I discovered that there IS a movie and this movie was just released ( 30th of September 2009) in the French cinemas .
This discovery excited me greatly, and here I am introducing the book and the new French film Le petit Nicolas :
Admittedly, I don’t know much about the film. But from its trailers on YouTube ( it has several), I think that it is a very good one – which will eventually have its own review one day on my blog. Well, my French is not good – yet the official site of the film is full of media and information. On top of that, it has an amazing design and functionality. Check it out !
You can also watch one of the amazing trailers, below. You should be able to get most things – even without knowing French :
“You Are Not Alone” is a true coming of age-movie, a classic, and a must see”
A poignant and wonderful movie.
Much has been said and written about the acclaimed Danish film “Du er ikke alene” (You Are Not Alone). For fans of the coming of age genre, ” You Are Not Alone ” is what ” Star Wars ” is for the sci-fi fans. Lasse Nielsen, who directed the film back in 1978, agreed to give an exclusive interview for theskykid.com and its readers.
theskykid.com: “You Are Not Alone” became a classic of the coming of age genre. Did you envision the popularity of the film when its shooting was done?
Lasse Nielsen: No, I never dreamed that “You Are Not Alone” would become a classic or a cult film of any kind. Maybe because I make films with my heart and not my head. For me, making movies are a necessary expression and not a calculated profession.
theskykid.com: How difficult it was to cast and find two young actors who worked together so well and were willing to do the part?
Lasse Nielsen: We cast Bo very quickly, but Kim was more difficult. We did screen tests for over 100 boys – but either the look wasn’t right or their acting was poor. Just a few weeks before filming began, my co-writer – the psychologist Bent Petersen – recommended the 12-year-old son of a fellow psychologist. When this boy Peter walked into the studio, I knew at once that this was the boy we were looking for. Actually, when we first saw him his hair was so long that we had to order a haircut so we could see his face!
theskykid.com: What was the public reaction to the film when it came out?
Lasse Nielsen: The reaction was somewhat mixed, but on the whole it was positive. The Danish film censors classified the film as “forbidden for children under 12,” believing that younger children would not understand the homosexual theme. But some years later, this restriction was officially removed
theskykid.com : How was your film received in other countries? Was the film ever banned or not respected in some parts of the world?
Lasse Nielsen : To the best of my knowledge the movie was never banned. It was shown in major film festivals in Italy, Germany, and Holland, but never widely released outside Scandinavia. In the U.S.A. it was released on video (one of Award Films’ best-sellers) and it continues to sell well on DVD.
theskykid.com : The sexual themes in “You Are Not Alone” is very innocent and daring. Do you think we have progressed over the years to a more honest approach to the subject in cinema?
Lasse Nielsen: I wanted to make a film about boys in a boarding school, and their honest feelings. I attended a boarding school myself, so it wasn’t difficult to write the story. At the time, I actually wasn’t aware that “You Are Not Alone” was the first Danish film to show a love story between two boys. In these 31 years since making the film, I’ve had many letters – especially from young boys and girls – telling me how much the movie meant to them – how much better they felt about themselves after seeing the film. Since that time, there have been a number of Danish films dealing with homosexuality, but generally the gay relationship is somehow troubled and unhappy. Often one of the partners dies. In any case, there are few “happy endings!”
theskykid.com: Was the long kissing scene in “You Are Not Alone” always planned to be the end of the film? or was it a last-minute change?
Lasse Nielsen: No. We actually shot more scenes after the parent’s night film screening, where Kim runs out of the room after being scolded by his father. Bo and Kim meet down in their secret spot in the woods. Unfortunately, however, that scene turned out too dark and we didn’t have enough money left in our budget to re-shoot. So the new ending was created in the editing room. But of course, it was always meant to be a happy ending!
theskykid.com : Do you think that the attitudes towards young teen gays have changed since the film was made?
Lasse Nielsen : Yes, I think so. In many ways, there is more tolerance. On YouTube, for example, you can see many young boys “coming out” as gay. And – at least in Denmark – parents are becoming more accepting. I’m not sure there has been much progress in U.S.A. however, where many young gay teenagers are still driven to suicide because of general and specific social harassment.
theskykid.com: You are not alone has a beautiful theme song. Who chose it? Did someone talk to Sebastian and then he wrote the song according to the film content or did he came with songs to chose?
Lasse Nielsen: I had worked with the Danish composer/singer Sebastian on my previous feature, “Maybe We can.” When I sent him the script for “You Are Not Alone” he was very impressed, and he began to write songs for the film even before we started shooting. I remember the night he called me on the phone and played the theme song for me. I sat there crying because the song was so perfect for the mood of the movie I had in mind. Sebastian has since become one of Denmark’s leading popular composers. He also wrote songs for several musicals that are performed frequently throughout Scandinavia. He is also famous for writing new music for the lyrics of the German playwright Bertolt Brecht.
theskykid.com : Do you think the film could be made today, is so why?
Lasse Nielsen : No, I don’t believe the film could be made today. We have an unfortunate situation of self-censorship these days.
theskykid.com : As this site mainly focuses on coming of age films, it would be interesting to know if you have a favorite coming of age film that you can recommend to the people reading this interview?
Lasse Nielsen: The films of Francois Truffaut are outstanding, and have been very inspiring for me. In my latest film, “The Story of Net,” I used Vivaldi’s music – much like Truffaut did in “The Wild Child.” Other coming-of-age movies I like are “The 400 Blows,” “The Man Without a Face,” “Streetwise,” “Young Aphrodites,” and “Nobody Knows.”
theskykid.com : Is there anyone you want to add ?
Lasse Nielsen: My new film, “The Story of Net,” has taken three years to complete, and has probably been the most difficult film for me to make. That’s because I was solely responsible for the writing, directing, casting, editing – and even the catering! It was a wonderful experience, however, working with a group of enthusiastic amateurs in Thailand. A number of Thai people who have seen the movie have told me that the acting is on par with what any professional Thai actors could do!
“The Story of Net” is focused on the experiences of one 12-year-old Thai boy. But I believe that children anywhere in the world will be able to identify with this boy. I strongly believe that the feelings of children are universal.
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this interview by sending me questions and/or discussing it with me.
Special thanks to Lasse for his informative and interesting answers. Hope that you like the interview, pals – let me know in the comments section below.
Ever since Bill Milner appeared in the Son of Rambow – his acting talent earned him worldwide recognition as one of the best young actors. Of course, that affected my blog too – where you can read several articles in which his name is mentioned. It seems that Bill fancies appearing in short movies – as after his appearance in Pop Art he appeared in another short flick called Mixtape which inspired this post.
Mixtape tells the story of Ben (Bill Milner), who prepares a special gift for the girl next door ( whom he likes – you can tell by his nervousness when speaking with her Mom). Speaking of short movies – Mixtape can make you reconsider your idea of short (it did mine) as it runs for about 120 seconds. Yet I found it quite moody – like I saw it , smiled and felt like dancing! That’s quite an achievement for such a limited exposure – and it’s the talent of Bill, the cuteness of the girl he likes (Charlotte Beaumont) and the bittersweet story – brought together by the promising young director, Luke Snellin, who shot the film just in one day on a very tight budget.
I really wish I was able to see Mixtape on the big screen – that ln itself must be quite an experience – but in the meantime you can see it below :
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f12fn2rBkwQ
Mixtape won the best short film award at the Virgin Media Awards Ceremony
check out the Bill Millner Central – the best site dedicated to him I was able to find online
Even if I watch and review a lot of films – sometimes I stumble upon a title or an actor which are well known to the general audience – yet unknown to me. That is the case with the seemingly famous actor Andrew Mason – who I saw for a very first time only a few minutes ago while watching a short film called ” The Pilot’s Tale”, in which he is the main protagonist. Andrew starred in films back in the 80s – and just like Barret Oliver – is not well known to me as back then I must have been too young to watch anything but Sesame Street …
The film itself is not perfect (my opinion – despite its festival awards). My first thought is that the dialog scenes are a bit static – reminding me of a theatrical performance. On the positive side – the wonderful soundtrack by Jim Cooper compensates for that – and alongside it the lyrics of the songs ( which reveal most of the the prognost background and his feelings ) – makes the movie a beautiful visual poem.
Andrew starts as a young boy who mourns the death of his Dad – who was a pilot shot down in a war conflict. He meets different people – including the pilot who shot down his Dad’s plane – and they help him come to terms with that huge loss in his life. I remained under the impression that the film is made with one goal – to help all kids who suffer the loss of parent. ..
Quotes from The Pilot’s tale :
” If you believe in something , something important , something worth hanging on to – you have to fight for it …”
” You can`t live your life with hate in your heart ”
My friend Joe is a classic coming-of-age film. Directed by Chris Bould, the film is based on the book Janne, min vän written by Swedish author Peter Pohl.
theskykid.com 
I don’t usually write negative reviews, as most of the time I am well prepared for what I am about to see when I pick a new film. ¨The White Ribbon¨ surprised me as it turned out quite different than what I imagined it would be.
To start with, I was mislead by the description of the film at Wikipedia. According to it:
Don`t forget to visit 
It all started with a book I stumbled upon today – “Le petit Nicolas” by René Goscinny. I found the book rather accidentally, but five minutes after I started reading it I was laughing aloud and have become a fan of Nicolas and the unique humor of René Goscinny. The book consists of a series of short stories describing the adventures of a little French boy -and all of them told in the first person by Nicolas himself. (I actually sent an enthusiastic 
Much has been said and written about the acclaimed Danish film “Du er ikke alene” (You Are Not Alone). For fans of the coming of age genre, ” You Are Not Alone ” is what ” Star Wars ” is for the sci-fi fans. Lasse Nielsen, who directed the film back in 1978, agreed to give an exclusive interview for theskykid.com and its readers.
theskykid.com : How was your film received in other countries? Was the film ever banned or not respected in some parts of the world?
theskykid.com: You are not alone has a beautiful theme song. Who chose it? Did someone talk to Sebastian and then he wrote the song according to the film content or did he came with songs to chose?
