Festen (1998): An Uncomfortably Realistic Farce

Irony, realism, and disquieting elements of farce mixed with tragedy is what comes to mind when I think of Thomas Vinterberg's 'Festen'. It is not a comfortable, lighthearted watch by any means. The combination of Dogme 95’s method of filming and the brutally honest storyline can be almost overpowering and anxiety-inducing. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire 105 minutes, barely daring to breathe or move!

From IMDb: "At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed."

The camera is unsteady and moves around as it follows Christian, making his way to his old family home for father Helge’s 60^th birthday. We are then introduced to Christian’s brothers and sisters as they also travel to their father’s mansion house, for what should have been a happy occasion. The viewer is thrown into the action of the story right away, with the loud, harsh noises of squealing tires on gravel paths, ringing bells, slamming of doors, shrieking car horns, strained motor engines, and aggressive slapping of backs and shoulders. Even in the opening scenes there is a chaotic, almost angry atmosphere (and this pretty much carries on throughout the entirety of the film). The aggressive shoulder slapping between Christian and his brother Michael clues us in to the fact that Christian isn’t exactly welcome at his father’s birthday party – we later find out why he isn’t welcome, in one of the most uncomfortable dinner party scenes I’ve ever had to watch…

There are no flashbacks or cuts to other moments in the narratives’ timeline, so as viewers we are forced to stay in the present, almost as though we too are family members forced to stick through the severely humiliating, tragic dinner party as silent witnesses. The atmosphere is almost claustrophobic as Christian reads out the green speech revealing the dark secrets kept in his family (ironically at Helge’s request).

Saving face is probably one of the most important key themes to this film. Even Christian’s brutally honest speech did nothing to phase the rest of the guests at bourgeoise Helge’s party – he is met by stony silence, laughter, and rejection through his many attempts to raise awareness to the issue of Helge’s violent past. The visually and auditorily aggressive ways the house guests dance, scream with laughter, and party, looked almost like a way to save face and forget about the tension throughout the embarrassment of Helge’s birthday.

Through Christian’s very bold move of revealing the abuse they suffered as children, the anger and despair shown by him and his siblings, Michael and Helene, becomes very understandable and easily sympathised with. While Michael is every bit as wild, chaotic, and violent as the story itself, his extreme emotions and unpredictability made him probably the most interesting character, in my opinion. Towards the end of the film he redeemed himself a lot in my eyes by bringing a sense of justice to Helge, who deserved what he got, and much more.

In a way, watching Festen feels almost like being a fly on the wall, watching as the events in Helge’s family unfold. Being filmed entirely on a 35mm handheld camera made Festen raw and intimate; the style is eerily reminiscent of watching an old documentary or family home video. I really do think this film will be sticking with me for a long time, and it will be a while before I forget what happened at Helge's 60th birthday celebration… Part of what makes this film so powerful and memorable is how realistic it feels, both in storyline and in the method of filming.

Overall: ★★★★☆