Review of Flickering Lights (2000) by Wayne S — 12 Mar 2012

Another gem from the Danish director of "Adam's Apples," Anders Thomas Jensen. Torkild (Søren Pilmark) is a thoughtful criminal who owes a lot of money to a mob boss, "the Eskimo," and when he and his little band of dysfunctional henchmen take off with a suitcase full of the crime lord's money, one suspects it will not end well. Their getaway vehicle breaks down in the middle of a forest and the gang takes refuge in an abandoned inn. This is where the film transforms into something truly magical. Torkild, who always wanted to open a restaurant, begins to use the stolen money to fix up the place. Their explanation to the locals who find them hiding there is that they are planning to re-open the lodge with an eating establishment and when customers start coming around, the dream/alibi begins to become a reality. The rest is totally unpredictable and a thorough delight to watch. I can still see the image of Arne (Mads Mikkelsen), the most psychopathic of the gang, leaning over a cook pot in a stained wife-beater undershirt, with two inches of cigarette ash dangling perilously over the main course.

Each of the characters is allowed a little back story, told in flashback, and these vignettes filmed in a contrasting style, give us enough background to understand the damaged men, and their motivations. We come to understand how they turned out the way they did, and why their friendship is so strong. Dramatic, yet humorous, and satisfying throughout, Blinkende Lygter (Flickering Lights) is a film worth looking for.

(Thought I'd add a line - friend Aditya prompts me to point out that THIS IS NOT A DOCUMENTARY.).