Strings

The whole concept of strings interested me from the start, I'll admit i have a strange fascination with puppets anyway from somewhere unknown, i think probably Fraggle rock and that sort of thing which was re-established when i saw 'being john Malkovich' with the beautifully worked string puppets.

but anyway the whole concept of the strings being part of the puppet i found really enthralling, like they weren't quite in control of their own movements as we feel we aren't. the mystical scenes of the sky with strings in looked awesome.

the opening scene really captures your attention and you feel so much empathy towards the king that you forget he is a piece of wood and treat him as human from the start.

i was really intrigued with the explanations of birth and death and think they really added to make the universe seem believable.

on the whole the story was kind of predictable but in a classical fantasy way really worked in the new context. the design of all the surroundings was breathtaking, i think this would be great for kids also, despite the lack of happiness within the story

I hadn't heard anything about this (Danish!) movie until a friend brought over a DVD he'd ordered from Thailand, of all places! (Available from www.ethaicd.com.) Four of us watched it and agreed that it was interesting, unique and original, but also rather dull. The story is a stereotypical (but very decent) fantasy fairy-tale, with the very interesting added element of the "stringed puppet reality". It worked very well, with a quite serious and emotional story a bit reminiscent of Gormenghast - all immensely well produced. But it wasn't engaging enough to maintain that much enthusiasm in the viewer. It was a bit too dark to be for children, and somewhat too, I dunno, uninvolving to be for grown-ups. I appreciate it as an honest, very competently produced fantasy movie with a detailed and good-looking but also quite crude and limited universe.

I do think it would be more engaging on the big screen than on a TV screen, because I was slightly bored through much of it. Granted, I was a bit tired when we watched it, and this is not a movie one should watch while tired. But it was a very interesting experience.

7 out of 10.

This movie, is one of those, you must NOT miss, if you appreciate wonderful pictures and a beautiful atmosphere. The scenes and environment was what hooked me. One glance at the backgrounds and the detail level is enough to make you beg for more. The story is okay, it is not fantastic, but I think it's well told. The concept of this movie is fully thought through bit for bit, it is revealing the ground rules for a world, where everyone is bound by strings, like a little world inside a box, but still it's a whole new gigantic world like on another planet. The sound and sound score is perfect, it gives this film, the last bit of atmosphere. It has already become one of my favourites, and there is no film like this one out there.

I watched this movie at the Norwegian International Film Festival, and I was totally blown away. The atmosphere, world and characters this movie introduces you to feels so incredibly unique and extraordinary.

The most brilliant thing, however, is the fact that instead of editing out the strings, or pretending that they're not there, they use the strings as a sort of...lifeforce.. If somebody looses their head-string, they're dead. This simple fact made the world seem even more real, and suddenly made the puppets into something living.

If I had to say anything negative about this movie at all, it's the fact that since the mouths of the puppets aren't moving when they're talking it's a bit difficult to get into at first. I found myself confused in the beginning as to whom it was that was talking, but I guess this is just the nature of movies that use puppets like these.

I couldn't recommend this movie any stronger than I do. Pray that this gets a US distributor, because as of now it's not picked up.

In the world of modern films showing you the realistic nature of violence, this film is a peaceful moment for your soul, allowing you to see the beauty of life. The story is neither complicated, nor exciting, but it's not a drawback. You can feel just by looking at the puppet whether he or she is "good" or "bad", and you can guess how the tale will end. We see a true tale, in an enchanted world of small details and simply-big thoughts: tears are rain, strings are life-force, freedom can be reached, loved ones are connected. We are falling into the screen, into this fantasy world, smilingly. People need tales. (Zita)