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Why so much hype?

As Good As It Gets

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This film is the most shrewd and insightful film about puberty I have ever seen - and one of the best films I have ever seen period. It follows a group of Aarhus schoolchildren from the age of 13-15 in 1958-60. The film notices all the small details, the internal power struggles and the growing sexuality of young teens. Much like Heavenly Creatures the film shows the "wonders" of growing up as both beautiful and frightful at the same time. Anyone regardless of nationality can recognise the conflicts and small dramas depicted here. After seeing it I felt as if Malmros had had a crystal ball and looked into the youth of everyone on the planet. Despite the fact that it is filmed in a hyper realistic, almost documentary, style, Malmros manages to fill add dramatic effects through music and background effects to effectively heighten the drama. The last ten minutes of the film builds up tension to the (completely unpredictable, but inevitable) climax and the striking power of the movie's ending sticks with you for hours after the film is over. I truly hope some distributor picks this up for a DVD release internationally - it is too big a masterpiece to be hidden away in Denmark (check out the external reviews if you want more proof)

Well, according to people who have more knowledge of the history of film than I this film has been of great importance to the Danish film industry. That might be right but it just doesn't do anything for me. One of the main problems is that there are almost only kids in the main roles. Of course there has to be, it is a movie about growing up, after all. But it's a problem as most of them can't really act. It's just too sheepish. I'll have to admit that it captures the situations you experience when you're young perfectly. But it's not enough. It is worth watching if you're living in Aarhus, Denmark, though... Kind of interesting real life locations if you know 'em :-)

Kundskabens træ is one of the greatest teenage-film ever made. The danish director Nils Malmros shown his fantastic quality to directed kids. We follow a school-class from they were 13 to 16. We seen the good girl Elin been set out of the gang, because she don`t want to date Helge. The looser girl Mona called "Klister" take over the Elins place, but some will go on. In the class there also is a funny guy (Villy Bonde, what a name) and Niels Ole (Malmros alter-ego) who is in love with a younger girl. His loved is fantastic filmed and the girl he is in love to, say almost nothing. On that way Malmros make her to a dream. So turn-off the american teenage-fílm and look for Kundskabens træ you never forget it. *********