Testamentet

Christan Sønderby Jepsen
Denmark | 2011 | 85 min
Languages : Danish, German
Subtitle : English

Sometimes reality surpasses even the most incredible cock-and-bull stories. And Christian Sønderby Jepsen's tragicomic and warm film about three brothers who inherit a fortune from their grandfather is certainly stranger than fiction. Even in Hollywood, nobody would believe  the story… A film which proves that blood is thicker than water, and that true happiness cannot be bought with money.

Henrik, aged 33, separated from his wife and son, does not know what to do with his life. He kills time with his brother, an ex-prisoner on methadone. Drinking, smoking pot and driving around, they live a sad life, biding their time as heirs to the family empire. The fact is that their grandfather, a wealthy German businessman, has just died. But their hopes of a new life are soon dashed. In the legal battle and settling of scores, all their childhood wounds resurface… A poignant portrait, at times off-beat, part direct cinema, part flashback.
“With Testamentet, I stood in the middle of the ultimate combination. A reality which is magnificent in itself, with death, manipulation and great emotions. An epic tale that unfolded before my very eyes. My ambition was to capture the raw reality, with the somewhat bizarre and highly sympathetic main character Henrik and his strange life, thoughts and entourage. A realistic drama that is sometimes stranger than fiction in its extremity and unpredictability” (CSJ).

Alessia Bottani

Translation  BMP Translations