''Portland'' is a 1996 Danish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by

Niels Arden Oplev Niels Arden Oplev (; born 26 March 1961) is a Danish film director and screenwriter. Life and career Oplev was born in Oue, Denmark. His 1996 film ''Portland (film), Portland'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. He d ...

, in his

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

debut. It stars

Anders W. Berthelsen Anders W. Berthelsen (born 28 September 1969) is a Danish actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films and television shows since 1994. Selected filmography References External links * 1969 births Living people Danish male film act ...

Ulrich Thomsen Ulrich Thomsen (born 6 December 1963) is a Danish actor and filmmaker, known for his role of Kai Proctor in the Cinemax original series ''Banshee'' (2013-2016). Biography Ulrich Thomsen was born in (Næsby) Odense, Denmark and graduated from t ...

, and

Iben Hjejle Iben Hjejle (22 March 1971) is a Danish actress, notable for starring in the Stephen Frears film '' High Fidelity'' (2000). In Denmark, she is perhaps best known for appearing in the Danish television sitcom '' Langt fra Las Vegas'' (''Far from ...

. The film, whose title is a reference to a Danish brand of

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

, was selected for competition at the

46th Berlin International Film Festival The 46th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 15 to 26 February 1996. The Golden Bear was awarded to British-American film ''Sense and Sensibility'' directed by Ang Lee. The retrospective dedicated to American film director, p ...

Plot

The film is set in northern Denmark and depicts the "violent drug-fueled adventures of two brothers, Janus (Anders Wodskou Berthelsen) and Jakob (Michael Muller) at the bottom of Denmark's social ladder."

Cast

as Janus * Michael Muller as Jakob, the brother of Janus *

as Lasse, the

gang leader ''Gang Leader'' is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action crime film written and directed by Vijaya Bapineedu, and produced by Maganti Ravindranath Chowdary. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Vijayashanti, while Rao Gopal Rao, Anandaraj, Murali Mo ...

as Eva, the sister of Lasse *

Birthe Neumann Birthe Neumann (born 30 April 1947 in Vanløse, Copenhagen) is a Danish actress. In 1972 she graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre, and was shortly afterwards employed as an actress at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. At th ...

as Lasse's mother *

Baard Owe Baard Arne Owe (3 July 1936, Mosjøen, Norway – 11 November 2017, aged 81, Copenhagen, Denmark), sometimes credited Bård Owe, was a Norwegian-born Danish actor who has acted in many Scandinavian films and TV series. He moved to Denmark in 1956 ...

as Kaj * Edith Thrane as Mrs. Eriksen * Helle Dolleris as Irene * Susanne Birkemose Kongsgaard as Minna * Karsten Belsnæs as Kenneth * Preben Raunsbjerg as Johnny

Reception

Stephen Holden called the film "blood-chilling" with the "feel of a nihilistic

prank A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...

. But although flashy, it has fundamental weaknesses. Partly because the actor playing him has no dramatic range, the transformation of Jakob from softhearted reform-school punk into sadistic iron man isn't the slightest bit convincing. Mr. Berthelsen's lank-haired, pill-popping Janus, however, is all too real. As this connoisseur of pain punches and lurches his way through the film, you see exactly how antisocial impulses can be warped into a code of outlaw values."

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 10 September 1939) is an English-Australian award-winning film critic, as both a journalist and interviewer, film historian and lecturer and television personality and producer. Life and career Born in Trowbridge, ...

called it "violent, nihilistic and often repellent, and yet its bold visuals and unexpected elements of humor and romance make it riveting viewing." According to Stratton, "as a director, Oplev shows he has talent: his mixture of moods works well, he gets strong performances from most cast members, and he pushes the narrative along at an urgent pace....But as a writer, he’s less successful; it’s surely not enough these days for Janus to blame his lifestyle on a lack of mother's love (which he does) or to have characters utter corny lines like “It’s us against the world.” There’s also far too much unmotivated violence (Janus assaulting a shopping mall security guard is a totally unnecessary sequence) and a few cheap and obvious jokes at the expense of authority figures."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Portland 1996 films 1996 crime drama films Danish crime drama films 1990s Danish-language films Films directed by Niels Arden Oplev Nihilist works Zentropa films Films set in Denmark 1996 directorial debut films Films produced by Peter Aalbæk Jensen