The beginning of the film. Uncle and nephew, a whole day of life description, from the early morning eyes to bedtime, what time to wake up, what to eat for breakfast, how to start working, how to entertain before going to bed, until the end of the day. Two people can be in the whole day without a word of conversation, but does not affect the communication, a nod or a word response, to understand each other’s needs. Such a day seems to be natural and uneventful, but can always be felt at all times through the dead-like atmosphere.
Why would the young girl live alone with her uncle? As we look at the story, we would not first anticipate that there is something touching behind the reason for this. However, the girl calmly said that she was taken in by her uncle after losing her father as a teenager, and soon after the uncle was unable to live alone because of a stroke, so the girl gave up further study, inherited the farm work as well as to take care of the uncle and has been living together. This seems to be a normal reason for the young girl to choose her life in a seemingly “reasonable” way. This also reflects the norm of most young people and rural families in such a small Nordic town.
For them, is it really no choice? As young people, there are some fluctuations in their hearts, and they have a certain desire for the “outside” world. In the story, the uncle did not prevent the girl from leaving himself. Instead, he naturally encourages her to fall in love and try to get a new job. However, the closed environment, the family ties, not very sure of the work, but always confined their steps, but also let them fall into an infinite cycle of days and nights. It’s not that they don’t want to choose, but what they have for a long time is what they can’t give up.
The director said that he only wanted to present the most realistic look of the Danish countryside. There are no judgments, no definitions, and no more outlooks for the main characters of the story. The minimal lines and cold tones are not deliberate, but the most realistic and natural presentation. It is precisely this kind of temperament, this sense of authenticity, can always let us find some similar emotions in ourselves. The country life in Northern Europe is so far away and yet so close. The differences are only superficial, and the similarities are the dilemmas that cannot be broken at the moment.
On the girl’s birthday, the uncle got up early on his own and prepared a birthday present for his niece – a second-hand stethoscope. The girl finally showed a rare smile in the whole film. And uncle playful scenes, but also the most touching and relaxed moment of the film. Family life is probably like this. The same old trivialities, there is always a touch of the sweetest time will emerge from time to time. There is no such thing as the best life, and there is no such thing as a bad life. For yourself, what is most precious, only you know best, grasp it on.
