User Reviews

This period Jane-Austen-like drama set in Denmark on the brink of World War One brings us a different point of view at romance faced with obstacles. In contrast to other period romantic dramas our protagonists are not judged because of their social status or by their family, but instead one - Edith is judged by the other - Anton, who is not sure if his feelings are the product of love or pity. This puts a spin on the historical-romance genre and at the same time gives it a modern feel thanks to exploring behaviours towards people with disabilities (as Edith is paralised from the hips down), which we don't see in cinema too often. On the other hand I thought the story could have been a bit more complex, particularly in dealing with the character of Anton, who is (apparently) torn between his feelings and his reputation - at times it felt a bit shallow and superficial. Eventhough the runtime is quite long (my opinion is that 90 minutes would be enough time for the story to be told), the colour palette is pleasant to the eye, acting performances are decent and the ending is quite touching.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, based on the trailer I thought that it was going to be a dull love story. But it turned out to be quite a special story without any love, really, without cliche-d characters. It stayed interesting for the whole duration of the film, it was filmed nicely, it got me involved in the plot. I have very strong opinions about Edith and her family, it was also interesting to see Anton as the victim of the situation and to see how (badly) he handled it. It was very human and very unexpected for a melodrama. I was very satisfied with the ending, because it seemed most plausible and believable. Just all in all a very good film that deserves more than 6,5 rating that it currently has.