Facing the Truth (film)
Encyclopedia
Facing the Truth is a 2002
Danish
drama written and directed by Nils Malmros
. Shot in black-and-white documentary style, and based on the real life of Malmros' father, the film relates the hardships of a young neurosurgeon struggling through a medical lawsuit. Malmros, whose films are known for their realism, is educated as a surgeon and performed all of the film's brain surgery scenes. The film was nominated for the 2003 Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
and won the 2003 Danish Film Academy's Robert Award
for Film of the Year.
is being attended to by a neurosurgeon, Dr. Richard Malmros (Jens Albinus). Malmros operates on the fisherman after injecting him with Thorotrast
, a radioactive contrast medium
and the operation is a success However, 42 years later, the patient develops liver cancer and dies. His widow sues the hospital claiming that the Thorotrast caused the liver cancer. The story flashes back through the life of Richard Malmros. As a child he lives in poverty. His father is unemployed due to World War I
. His childhood and later life are greatly influenced by his aunt who is a devout Christian and always warns about the danger of sin. The story continues through his schoolboy days, his university education, and his marriage, which he feels tricked into. The film focuses on the ambiguity of the 'truth' reported in the media as well as the personal dilemma that Richard Malmros faced: his knowledge of the dangers of Thorotrast, and the decision he had to make when there were no alternatives. He could use the Thorotrast, or risk having them die right there, and this was a decision he had to make. The old Richard acknowledges that if he had known what he knows today, clearly some patients should not have been given Thorotrast. Although he is vindicated in court, he remains haunted by feelings of guilt, which he carries from the strong influence of his aunt in his childhood.
s. At the 2003 Mar del Plata Film Festival
the film won Best Film and Nils Malmros received a Special Mention for "courage in portraying the ambiguity of truth." At the 2003 Bodil Awards the film was nominated for Best Danish Film and Jens Albinus won the Bodil for Best Actor.
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
drama written and directed by Nils Malmros
Nils Malmros
Nils Malmros , a Danish film director and screenwriter, is considered a leading auteur of realism in Danish cinema. Malmros is noted for his detailed focus on the common growing pains of adolescence and the loss of innocence, which he draws from his childhood experiences growing up in Århus, Denmark...
. Shot in black-and-white documentary style, and based on the real life of Malmros' father, the film relates the hardships of a young neurosurgeon struggling through a medical lawsuit. Malmros, whose films are known for their realism, is educated as a surgeon and performed all of the film's brain surgery scenes. The film was nominated for the 2003 Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
Bodil Award for Best Danish Film
The Bodil Award for Best Danish Film is one of the categories for the Bodil Awards presented annually by the Danish Union of Film Critics . It was created in 1948 and is one of the oldest film prizes in Europe. The judging committee can decide not to give out the award if no deserving films are...
and won the 2003 Danish Film Academy's Robert Award
Robert Award
The Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
for Film of the Year.
Synopsis
The film opens in 1944, as a young fisherman who has suffered a stroke due to aneurysmAneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
is being attended to by a neurosurgeon, Dr. Richard Malmros (Jens Albinus). Malmros operates on the fisherman after injecting him with Thorotrast
Thorotrast
Thorotrast is a suspension containing particles of the radioactive compound thorium dioxide, ThO2, used as a contrast medium in X-ray diagnostics in the 1930s and 40s ....
, a radioactive contrast medium
Contrast medium
A medical contrast medium is a substance used to enhance the contrast of structures or fluids within the body in medical imaging...
and the operation is a success However, 42 years later, the patient develops liver cancer and dies. His widow sues the hospital claiming that the Thorotrast caused the liver cancer. The story flashes back through the life of Richard Malmros. As a child he lives in poverty. His father is unemployed due to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. His childhood and later life are greatly influenced by his aunt who is a devout Christian and always warns about the danger of sin. The story continues through his schoolboy days, his university education, and his marriage, which he feels tricked into. The film focuses on the ambiguity of the 'truth' reported in the media as well as the personal dilemma that Richard Malmros faced: his knowledge of the dangers of Thorotrast, and the decision he had to make when there were no alternatives. He could use the Thorotrast, or risk having them die right there, and this was a decision he had to make. The old Richard acknowledges that if he had known what he knows today, clearly some patients should not have been given Thorotrast. Although he is vindicated in court, he remains haunted by feelings of guilt, which he carries from the strong influence of his aunt in his childhood.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jens Albinus Jens Albinus - Filmography :*Everything will be Fine *Daisy Diamond *The Boss of It All *The Eagle - as Hallgrim Ørn Hallgrimsson*Forbrydelser - as Carsten... |
Richard Malmros as an adult |
| William Rosenberg William Rosenberg William Rosenberg was an American entrepreneur. He founded the Dunkin' Donuts franchise in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts. In 1946, Rosenberg founded Industrial Luncheon Services, a company that delivered meals and coffee break snacks to factory workers on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts... |
Richard Malmros as old man |
| Lise Stegger | Eli |
| Søren Østergaard Søren Østergaard Søren Østergaard is a Danish film, television and stage actor.- Selected Filmography :* Facing the Truth * Pain of Love - External links :* at the Danish Film Institute*... |
Malmros' son as an adult |
| Preben Hans | Pastor Bork |
| Peter Schrøder | Knoblau |
| Lasse Broust Andersen | Richard Malmros as child |
| Elin Reimer | Eli as old woman |
| Anni Bjørn | Aunt Johanne |
| Sofie Deplace Jørgensen | Eli's girlfriend |
| Mette Kolding | Ida's Mother |
| Malene Langborg | 5. Classmate |
| Nynne Karen Nørlund | Karl's Mother |
| Bente Banemann | Waitress |
| Steffie Therese Mortensen | Eli at 11 |
| Anette Becker | 2. Classmate |
| Birthe Neuman | Eli's Mother |
| Camilla Helene Lind | Eli's girlfriend |
| Sina Houberg Jæger | Lotte 5-years-old |
| Birthe Backhausen | Grete Vedel |
| Søren Østergaard Søren Østergaard Søren Østergaard is a Danish film, television and stage actor.- Selected Filmography :* Facing the Truth * Pain of Love - External links :* at the Danish Film Institute*... |
Nils Malmros as an adult |
| Jørgen Brorsen | Elo's Father |
| Hother Bøndorf | Isaksen |
| Ida Dwinger Ida Dwinger Ida Dwinger is a Danish actress.She graduated from Odense Theater School in 1984.- Movies :* Open Hearts aka Dogme #28 * Facing the Truth * Reconstruction * Princess * Just Like Home... |
Richard's Mother |
| Birgit Sadolin Birgit Sadolin Birgit Sadolin, is a Danish actress. She entered film in 1953 with the comedy Ved Kongelunden.-Filmography:*Ved Kongelunden - 1953*Karen, Maren og Mette - 1954*Altid ballade - 1955*På tro og love - 1955... |
the Mother |
Awards
Facing the Truth won the Best Film at the 2003 Robert AwardRobert Award
The Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
s. At the 2003 Mar del Plata Film Festival
Mar del Plata Film Festival
The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
the film won Best Film and Nils Malmros received a Special Mention for "courage in portraying the ambiguity of truth." At the 2003 Bodil Awards the film was nominated for Best Danish Film and Jens Albinus won the Bodil for Best Actor.
External links
- At kende sandheden at IMDb
- kende sandheden at Det Danske Filminstitut (in Danish)