Review of Character (1997) by Miruna . — 23 Oct 2011
A Movie from the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and again a awesome film from this collection. It was the 1997 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film. One of the most powerful films I've ever seen.
The film starts with a heated argument between two men, and when the elder is found dead with a knife in his chest the younger man is arrested and revealed to be his son. The story begins in flashback: the father, Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir from Antonia's Line), is a fearless Scrooge-like moneylender who has cold-heartedly built his fortune by collecting debts and foreclosing on the poor.
His son, Katadreuffe (Fedja van Huet), is the offspring of a single night's passion with his housekeeper--in an interesting twist he hounds her to marry him, and she leaves with the boy to raise him on her own.
When she dies, father and son become locked in a fascinating battle: as Katadreuffe finds him calling in the law, Dreverhaven buys up his debts and attempts to drive him into bankruptcy. Katadreuffe eagerly takes up every challenge his father throws at him in a perverse show of strength and filial defiance.
5 stars can only wish I could give it more.
This review of Character (1997) was written by Miruna . on 23 Oct 2011.
Character has generally received very positive reviews.
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