Denmark 2018
Opening November 7, 2019

Directed by: Hella Joof
Writing credits: Mette Heeno
Principal actors: Birthe Neumann, Kurt Ravn, Marianne Høgsbro, Mette Munk Plum

Peter (Kurt Ravn), age 71, retires from the business he once founded. His company’s farewell gift is a garden bench and the advice to take it easy after many years of sixty-hour-work weeks. But it’s hard to go from "sixty" to "zero". He makes other plans and finds it opportune (one could call it cowardly) to drop the news on his unsuspecting 69-year old wife during the retirement celebration-dinner with their best friends. Helle (Birthe Neumann) has waited years for the time when they would travel and explore the world again like they used to when they were young. But he —behind her back—has spent all their savings on a new business venture. When Helle protests in disbelief, he shows his true (chauvinistic) colors. He considers their savings his money and has been thinking about divorce for a while anyway.

The story starts promising and entertaining but only the charismatic and attractive cast - especially Birthe Neumann and Marianne Høgsbro - is able to gloss over that the script is not delivering. Peter's efforts to "rejuvenate" body and soul are amusing but (of course) not surprising. Their friend's suggestions for Helle on how to "lure" Peter back are focused on sex only; the attempts are sad and out of character for her. It is about time that films about and with older people include nudity, eroticism, desire and sex; this film though has more of it than one might care to watch —especially some rather joyless variants. (Carola A.)