Shake It All About En Kort En Lang

Date: Friday, 10/17/2003
Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: Lincoln Theatre
Tickets: $9

Type: Feature presentation
Language: Danish with English subtitles

Metro Weekly Rating: (4 out of 5)

by Randy Shulman

HIGH MELODRAMA sizzles at the core of director Hella Joof's whacked-out romantic dramedy, as a woman intrudes on the everlasting happiness of a gay couple, confusing one and leaving the other bitter and alone.

But fear not, for this Bavarian creampuff of a movie, which despite an insane (yet oddly fitting) conclusion, captivates with strong character development and a narrative that turns every which way, including loose.

Jakob (Mads Mikkelsen) proposes to his longtime lover Jorgen (Troels Lyby) at the start of the film, and all seems well until he unexpectedly embarks on an affair with Caroline (Charlotte Munck), the wife of Jorgen's brother. Once the affair is brought into the open, lives are shattered, happiness, kaput. "I bear a deep sorrow," says Jorgen, as Jakob quietly packs his belongings to start a new life with Caroline.

Shake It All About bounces back and forth -- sometimes wildly -- from sobering and serious to light and oh-so-fluffy. It's as sudsy as any soap opera, but it's salvaged by sturdy screenwriting by Joof and Klaus Bondam and an absolutely exquisite, richly heartfelt performance from Lyby, who with any luck will one day offer his considerable talents to an American filmmaker.

Film Links:
· Reel Affirmations details
· Internet Movie Database
· Official film site

Festival Venue:
Lincoln Theatre
1215 U Street, NW; Washington, DC 20009. (202) 328-6000. (map)
Directly across from Green Line Metro / U Street-Cardozo station.

Tickets:
You may buy your tickets or passes in advance: Online at BoxOfficeTickets.com or by phone at (800) 494-TIXS (494-8497). Or you may visit the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U Street, NW, WDC); the DCJCC (1529 16th Street, NW, WDC); Lambda Rising (1625 Connecticut Avenue, NW, WDC); or Universal Gear (1601 17th Street, NW, WDC).
 

---

For more info visit the official Reel Affirmations website.