Pelle Erobreren
1987 / 157m - Denmark
Drama
1.5*/5.0*
Pelle the Conqueror poster

Plot: After his wife dies, Lasse takes his son Pelle to go live in Denmark, hoping for a better life there. They find work at a farm, but they are treated with very little respect. The Danish look down on the Swedes and they exploit them, knowing they have no place else to go. Even so, Pelle and his dad persist.

Watches

June 15, 2024

1.5*/5.0*

Danish drama about forlorn times. I was unaware of the dark history between Swedish and Danish people, I guess bringing me up to speed is primarily what this film accomplished. The rural drama is a bit too close to our local cinema though, a type of film I despised for ages (and still do if I'm honest).

The lead performances are decent, but the setting of the film is excruciatingly dreary and the cinematography does nothing to improve things. The film is also way too long and repetitive, pretty much rehashing the same stereotypes while the plot trudges on. Not great, but within its genre, not the worst I've seen.