Carmen & Babyface

The Danish director Jon Bang Carlsen's latest film Carmen og Babyface is set at a time of inner and outer turmoil. Adrian and Carmen are sister and brother and live in a happy but unconventional family of artists. They live in a greenhouse-like house where their parents run a pottery. The world outside is frightening, school is a necessary evil which none of the siblings particularly enjoy. At the same time there are constant reminders on the TV and radio news of the Cuban crisis. Adrian has turned to religion for comfort and every night he prays for everything to remain the same. His sister Carmen on the other hand is convinced that good things don't last, and when their father moves in with his female apprentice Adrian's and Carmen's lives fall apart. The mother takes the two children with her and moves out to a small village in the country. It is difficult to settle down and fit in after having lived in the big city. Carmen's answer to her schoolmates bullying and her mother's depression is to leave and move in with her father. Adrian on the other hand rebels from within. Carmen gives her brother the nickname Babyface because of his, as she thinks, cringing ways. He burns his images of Jesus whom he feels has let him down badly. Instead his new idol is John F Kennedy. Adrian is forced to settle the matter with his mother and overcome his problems at school. When he finally finds love he has grown up to become a young man. Deep down Carmen og Babyface is about growing up and the rite of passage from childhood to becoming an adult, and the fact that even though love and what is good do not always win you should never give up. Adrian is a deeply sympathetic, lovable character and Cannen a rebel who despite her tough armour hides a soft heart. Carlsen has succeeded in directed the young actors, however the mother's role is somewhat too stereotypical. Many will recognize a setting reminiscent of Lasse Hallstrom's in My Life as a Dog (1985). As in Hallstom's film the note in Carmen og Babyface rings warm and true. The cinematography oscillates between iceblue winter landscapes and warm, brown interiors. The staggering plot has its melodious connecting thought in Bizet's rich Carmen. TB

Premiärstatus
Svensk premiär: Medverkande
Sofie Gråbøl, Rasmus Seebach, Ulla Henningsen: Producent
Peter Aalbæk Jensen: Manus
Jon Bang Carlsen: Foto
Dan Laustsen: Musik
Hans-Erik Philip: Talat språk
English subs