The story centers on a social studies high school teacher. Hes married and has been having an affair with a former student. Hes an old communist and the student is a radical, inclined towards hard-line activism. We might perceive him as her ideological father.
We learn already in the beginning of the film that the student has taken part in an action against a weapons manufacturer, where a policeman ended up dead somehow. The question is how and why, how to deal with it and what the consequences will be? We follow the teacher as he tries to come to grasp with what has happened. He is dissatisfied with his marriage and finds his safe middle class existence lacking. So he latches on to the wings of his love for the young student, and her convictions, and takes off, on an Icarus ride towards societies boundaries.
Its the old 'Crime and Punishment' theme again, set to a Danish middle class and political background. It deals with questions of guilt, romantic love and the meaning of politics. If bombs are killing thousands in Iraq, is it so odd when someone dies in Denmark? Is the main character a thrill seeker, out for the rush of a young woman's love and fiery convictions? Is there any meaning in punishment? How much guilt should one be feeling?
The film weeds a tangled web of morality, desires and politics. However, it is not as tangled, or perhaps not as well untangled, as it could have been. The motives for the different actions undertaken are never really elaborated on. Rather the film is often quiet. Perhaps that is part of the point, a low bass-like sound is humming all through the movie, like a constant, gnarling feeling of guilt. But it still feels like something is missing in the character description. We also understand quite soon what direction the plot is taking, the contours are a bit obvious. It is not hard to predict the moral of the story, or the fate of the school teacher, far ahead of time. Still, it is a compelling and thought-provoking film in many ways. The acting is highly believable and we understand the main characters aggression against petite bourgeois existence as well as his loneliness and sadness over losing it.
Also Id like to give props to the most explicit hand gliding-Icarus analogy since '24 Hour Party People'. Real good stuff. That should be used in even more films, I think!
