Dina's father accuses her of killing her mother but in reality it was just a childhood accident. Dina's childhood is filled with loneliness and rage but when a tutor is hired, her love of music emerges. When the tutor is forced to leave, Dina marries Jacob and the rest of her life is still haunted by death.
Filming Location: Nordland, Norway
Normally I go through all of my likes and then my dislikes...but this time I am just going to start with the most noticeable and go on from there...
Dislike: The first major drawback of this film is that it's in English. The film is already filled with overacting...but would it have been so noticeable if the viewer was forced to read subtitles? Dina's voice was so strange...there are some cheesy lines and when they are combined with her strange accent it almost makes you want to laugh. I'm sure that's not what they were going for.
Like: The film was visually compelling. The beginning of the film is overrun with the color white...the color of purity. But in no way is Dina's life pure. Was this a coincidence? I don't think so...Bornedal probably wanted the viewer to think that Dina was innocent but as time goes by nothing can trick the audience into thinking that she is innocent. As far as the scenery goes, looking at the film as a foreigner who has never been to Norway but wants to, the shots are very pretty. In fact, it might be one of the reasons why I kept watching it.
Dislike: My emotional connection with Dina (pretty much feeling sorry for her) disappeared when her adulthood emerged. It wasn't caused by a lack of resemblence between the two actors playing Dina it was more like the ridiculousness of her character was impossible to ignore.
Like: The story was interesting and the characters were interesting. Yes, there was some overacting but it did hold my attention. Mads Mikkelson, the son of Dina's husband, did a fabulous job...as always. He was the reason I watched it. I don't think I would have watched it otherwise.
Overall Recommendation: You can skip this one...but if you like Mads Mikkelson then it's worth it.
How could this film have been better?: Subtitles...subtitles...subtitles. Not only would it have hidden the ridiculous accent but it would have forced the audience to read...hiding the overacting. The kind of audience (US audience) that this film would most likely attract is the kind of audience that doesn't mind reading subtitles.
Analysis (Spoilers):
Dina's life changes when the tutor, played by Depardieu, comes into her life. Instead of being obsessed with her mother's death, she becomes obsessed with music...and her mothers death. In an attempt to force Dina to move on, he takes her to her grave and explains that she is in heaven. In her eyes, Depardieu has told her that when Dina accidentally caused her death she was setting her free...along with all of her pain. In a way this shifts Dina's obsession with the death of her mother to death in the large scheme of things.
After getting married, Dina and her husband witness a hanging. As the man in about to die Dina says "Look at me. Look at me. Let all the cares and sorrows of this world fall away from you." She thinks that death is the answer. Death can make all of your pain go away.
So what does she do when her husband has an infected leg and she is taking him to a doctor in the cold winter weather...she pushes him off the cliff...because she is setting him free. Dina thinks she can help everyone but she really just needs to help herself. She is psychotic. If this film didn't take place in the mid 1800's then she was surely be locked up in the loony bin.
Dina is haunted by her mother and her husband. No matter what, it seems like Dina is forced to remember what she did. If she was really helping them, would they have haunted her. This especially true of her husband.
This film is an interesting look at death and the many views that people have of death. In Dina's eyes no one should be afraid of death. This is a tough subject to conquer...I know that I am very scared of death and I always have been. But can this film change your life? nah...but it's a little thought provoking I guess.
Trivia: Courtesy of iMDB
- With a budget totaling 144 million Norwegian kroner (about US$21 million) this was the most expensive movie to date in Norway.
- Co-star Gérard Depardieu brought 500 bottles of wine from his own farm and winery to the location in Kjerringøy (northern Norway) "to keep the spirits up", as he himself put it.
Uh...Depardieu didn't play the tutor, he played the husband, Jacob.
ReplyDeletewho is little actress in film I am Dina?
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