''Truly Human'' ( da, Et rigtigt menneske), certified as '' Dogme #18'', is a

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

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-g ...

written and directed by

Åke Sandgren Åke Sandgren (born 13 May 1955) is a Sweden, Swedish-Denmark, Danish film director and screenwriter. He has written and directed a number of films in a variety of genres, mostly in Denmark where he now lives. Biography Sandgren studied Film Sc ...

, and starring

Nikolaj Lie Kaas Nikolaj Lie Kaas (; born 22 May 1973) is a Danish actor whose career rose in the 1990s. Kaas graduated from the National Theater School in Denmark in 1998. He first appeared on screen in Søren Kragh-Jacobsen's film ''The Boys from St. Petri'' i ...

Peter Mygind Peter Mygind (born 28 August 1963) is a Danish actor and television personality. He has had roles in films including the World War II drama ''Flame & Citron'' as well as several TV series such as '' Borgen'', '' Unit One'', Lars Von Trier's '' Th ...

, and . Produced by

Lars von Trier Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes, in addition to nominat ...

's and

Peter Aalbæk Jensen Peter Aalbæk Jensen (born 8 April 1956 in Osted) is a Danish film producer who in 1992 with director Lars von Trier founded the Danish film company Zentropa and later its huge studio complex Filmbyen. His father was writer Erik Aalbæk Jensen. ...

's company

Zentropa Zentropa, or Zentropa Entertainments, is a Danish film company started in 1992 by director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen. Zentropa is named after the train company Zentropa in the film ''Europa'' (1991), which started the colla ...

, the film was created following the

Dogme 95 Dogme 95 is a 1995 avant-garde filmmaking movement founded by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vows of Chastity" ( da, kyskhedsløfter). These were rules to create films ba ...

rules, and is experimental in style and narrative.

Plot

A contemporary fable about an invisible man who is given the chance to become a real human being. "P" is an imaginary character in the mind of seven-year-old Lisa. He lives behind the wallpaper in her bedroom. One day the house is demolished and he emerges from the rubble. With no language or identity he sets out into the human world, ending up at a refugee centre. This is the start of the account of "P's" dramatic progress through decline on his way to become truly human.

Cast

as P *

as Walther * as Charlotte (as Susan A. Olsen) * as Stromboli * as Tanja * as Kjeldsen * Clara Nepper Winther as Lisa * as Benny * as Molly (as Chalotte Munksgaard) *

Klaus Bondam Klaus Bondam (born 19 November 1963, in Aakirkeby) is a Danish actor and politician. Acting career Bondam has been the manager two theatres, (1996–2003) and Folketeatret (2003–2005), and been administrative manager of Mungo Park theatre ...

as Ulrik *

Peter Belli Peter Belli (born Georg Peter Brandt; 19 June 1943 in Kiel) is a Danish singer and actor. Career Peter's debut as a singer was in 1959, for a band called ''Trefters''. In the 1960s, Belli became Denmark's first rock star, alongside his band, ...

as Sedergren * as customer in shoe shop * Josephine Cadan as Zelma * Jesper Asholt as Tern *

Henning Palner Henning Palner (18 July 1932 – 20 December 2018) was a Danish actor. Filmography *'' Jetpiloter'' – 1961 *'' Støv på hjernen'' – 1961 *'' Komtessen'' – 1961 *'' Sorte Shara'' – 1961 *'' Det støver stadig'' – 1962 *'' Drømmen om ...

as Forsberg * as Anna, secretary

Themes

The film uses a

Kaspar Hauser Kaspar Hauser (30 April 1812 – 17 December 1833) was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. Hauser's claims, and his subsequent death from a stab wound to his left breast, sparked much debate an ...

-like fantasy premise to tell a modern-day story that deal with sensitive issues like racism and immigration with a sharp edge to it.

Accolades

won the 2002

Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role The Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role ( da, Robert Prisen for årets mandlige hovedrolle) is a Danish Film Academy award presented at the annual Robert Award ceremony to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading perform ...

for his role as P.

References

External links

* * * 2001 drama films 2001 films Danish drama films 2000s Danish-language films Films directed by Åke Sandgren Films shot in Denmark Zentropa films {{Denmark-film-stub Dogme 95 films