''The Absent One'' ( da, Fasandræberne), also known as ''Department Q: The Absent One'', is a 2014 Danish

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

mystery film directed by and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel and

Rasmus Heisterberg Rasmus Heisterberg (born 12 December 1974) is a Danish screenwriter. Heisterberg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and attended the National Film School of Denmark. He was a writer on ''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'' (2009) ''A Royal Affair'' (2 ...

, based on

Jussi Adler-Olsen Carl Valdemar Jussi Henry Adler-Olsen (born 2 August 1950) is a Denmark, Danish crime fiction writer, a publisher, editor, and entrepreneur, best known for his ''Department Q'' series. He made his debut as a nonfiction writer in 1984, and as a ...

's novel of the same name. It is the second film in the

Department Q series ''Department Q'' ( da, Afdeling Q) is a Danish Nordic noir film series, based on the crime novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen. Novels Originally written in Danish, the novels have been translated into numerous languages, including English, ...

following the 2013 film ''

The Keeper of Lost Causes ''The Keeper of Lost Causes'' (Danish: ''Kvinden i buret''), also known as ''Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes'', is a 2013 Danish film directed by Mikkel Nørgaard. The movie is based on the novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen. It is the first fi ...

'', and preceding the 2016 film ''

A Conspiracy of Faith ''A Conspiracy of Faith'' (Danish: ''Flaskepost fra P''), also known as ''Department Q: A Conspiracy of Faith'', is a 2016 Danish film, directed by Hans Petter Moland, based on a novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen. It is the third film in the Department Q ...

''.

Plot

The story centers around the murder of twins in 1994, one of whom was also raped. At first unwilling to get involved in the case, Mørck changes his mind after their father commits suicide after approaching him one night and leaving behind a box of material on the case he has been collecting for years. Dept Q's investigation leads away from the young man originally convicted, towards a group of students from a nearby boarding school who became pillars of the Danish establishment. The existence of department Q is threatened by the success of other departments.

Cast

Release

When it was released in Oct 2014 it was Denmark's highest-grossing opening week for a local film ever. Fares Fares who plays Assad received the

Robert Award The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...

(called the "Danish Oscar") for his performance as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film also received the Audience Award.

Reception

Critical response

''The Absent One'' holds a 92% approval rating on review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 12 reviews.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Absent One, The (2014 film) 2014 films 2010s Danish-language films 2010s French-language films 2014 crime thriller films 2010s mystery thriller films Danish crime thriller films German crime thriller films German mystery thriller films Swedish crime thriller films Swedish mystery thriller films Films shot in Denmark Films shot in Germany Films shot in Hamburg Zentropa films Nordisk Film films Department Q 2014 multilingual films Films produced by Peter Aalbæk Jensen Films produced by Louise Vesth 2010s German films 2010s Swedish films