Flugten / The Escape (Denmark)

[pro-bassoonist]

Catalog entry:

Kathrine Windfeld's Flugten a.k.a The Escape (2009) is out in Denmark. English-friendly.

Official site and trailer:
http://www.flugten-filmen.dk/flugten/

Seattle International Film Festival:

Drawing from Olav Hergel's novel “The Refugee,” filmmaker Kathrine Windfeld contrasts the plight of a Danish journalist with that of an Afghan terrorist in this carefully observed sociopolitical thriller. Rikke (Iben Hjejle, The Boss of It All, SIFF 2007) hasn't been in Afghanistan long when the Taliban kidnaps, tortures, and threatens to execute her if Denmark doesn't withdraw its troops. Rikke suspects that Nazir, who speaks English, sympathizes with her plight, even though Westerners caused the death of his father—and even though his superiors have ordered him to kill her. Because of the film’s title, it's no spoiler to reveal that Rikke gets away, but the road ahead presents new sacrifices and deceptions. In Denmark, Rikke returns to reporting and rekindles a romance with Thomas, a former flame, while Nazir makes a daring escape of his own, traveling from the Middle East to Scandinavia. What happened in Afghanistan bonds Rikke and her one-time captor, but it could just as easily destroy them both. Often cast in supporting parts, it's a pleasure to see Hjejle, an actress of subtle strength and conviction, take on a leading role, and she does not disappoint.

Pro-B