User Reviews

The first thing I should say outright is that the performance of Frederikke Dahl Hansen was completely enrapturing - and ultimately, she was the star of the film. Far more likable in character than her co-star, to the point you almost feel like the film would have been better centred with the main plot around her, rather than Gethin Anthony's character. I feel like the plot itself was OK, with family ties being sought by two very different characters midst the beautiful backdrop of Copenhagen. The problem was that the male lead's character was fairly detestable, and that led to a lack of sympathy from me as the viewer with his back story. Towards the end there were signs of some redemption in his own behaviour as he starts to care about Effy. However I think the writers should have softened his character more to make the audience feel a bit more connected to him. This is why I have scored a 6 as he is a key part of the film and I truly think that his characterisation was off beam. I understand his lack of maturity is one of the key elements of the character (to fit in with his relationship with Effy), but this needn't have been done in such a coarse way.

The above said, the film is absolutely worth watching. Dahl Hansen produces a superb performance combining both a wisdom beyond her 14 yr old life, with a hint of teenage naivety that sees her attach to William. I also think whilst Gethin Anthony's character isn't very likable, he does gel well with Dahl Hansen and we see some great scenes that are very memorable; the Karaoke scene, the awkward discovery of her age and the theme park ride among them. There is a gorgeous scene when we see them cycling the streets of Copenhagen (with the possibly underused Jeremy character) that is verging on euphoria. I've not been to Copenhagen, but seeing this film has definitely made me want to go.

So 6 out of 10 is my final score. With a better written lead male, this could have been a 9 or 10. On the topic of the underage aspect, the film addresses this fairly well and shows that it is not unduly bypassing it. We are somewhat led to believe that their companionship has transcended their ages, with the dangers of that relationship highlighted well in the row scene between William and Jeremy - one of the more interesting scenes with the two male characters involved. So go see it, but see if like me you feel one half of the critical relationship just needed re-configuring.

Copenhagen is the story William an American , William , who is on holiday in Europe and at the same time looking for the grandfather he had never met but he struggles because he has a terrible attitude problem , that is until he meets Effy a young woman who want's to help him. the problem is she's a lot younger than he thought. This is a pretty good indie film that covers a taboo subject very well . The acting is very good , especially from Frederikke Dahl Hansen and although you find yourself really not liking William you do admire the way he handles the predicament he is. It makes you think how you would handle the situation and shows how easy it can be to get in a lot of trouble.

7 out of 10

William.... a total douchebag.... but getting to learn more about his life changed the way I felt about him. Gethin Anthony plays his character like he is the same person in real life, so obviously a plus for this movie. When your friend proposes his girlfriend, what's the first thing you think of? (Oh, well... good for you mate, I am really happy for you). William directly disapproves his decision, mainly because he doesn't like her, however he doesn't know her really well. The point of William's visit to Copenhagen was finding his only family... his grandfather who turns out to be a douchebag too. Actually, his father was one too. The visit turns upside down because Jeremy thought it would be a good place to propose, then he left his bestfriend all alone in a foreign city. This is where the journey of the douchebag (who turns out to be a really good guy, but without affection from his family) starts. I always wanted to visit a city all alone and I thought William just had the chance to discover if (quote from the movie) "you are the kind of person you can lean on when you are all alone, with no friends, no family to lean" I think the moment he met Effy, he started to realise what kind of person he is. It is funny how a total stranger can change your point of view in just a day. William is not the kind of man to talk about his life or feelings, but then again, a stranger, a 14 year old girl changed him. Maybe not so much, but just to start him on the right track. Also, (Frederikke Dahl Hansen) found herself, or started to see life a lot more beautiful when she met William. She knew that being a teenager could affect their relationship, still she created a bond with him that I think will last for ages even if they don't meet again. A thing I loved about this movie was the way Copenhagen was filmed. The scenery of the beautiful city which was shown in the movie made me instantly want to visit it (you know the feeling of starting to fall in love with places you have never been). Mark Raso and Alan Poon did an impressive job with this film. You actually feel like getting lost in the city (I can assure you that the feeling gets real when you will watch this movie). The relationship between two strangers also helps with the scenery. I had no subtitles when they talked in danish, so for a few minutes I was in William's pants. Especially the part when he talked to his uncle and I can say that it is awful not knowing what they are talking. I liked the ending a lot (maybe just because of my interpretation of it). William went to Skagen to meet his grandfather, where he realised that his relative is exactly like his father. There he went to the beach. The place where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. I think that, metaphorically, that place depicted his days in Copenhagen, where the doucheness met his kindness. The scene was mixed with Effy being at school because she is the one that managed to get his kindness out of him. And the important thing, I think that William knew that. He knew that it was time to grow up, even though falling in love with a girl half your age clearly means it is time to grow up. He knew that a new start is the best for him. Why this is not a typical review? Just because this movie is not typical (you will see why when you will watch the movie).

From ScoreTheFilm's movie blog...

NOTE: Anything considered a spoiler in this review is a soft one. This is a picture that needs to be seen and I'd hate to ruin it for anyone.

The entire cast and crew are to be congratulated for making such a beautiful film filled with love and quality at every turn. Writer/director Mark Raso has crafted an unconventional love story that shouldn't offend anyone if you give yourself to the picture and to the characters. What's most striking is that it never once feels disingenuous; it holds true to itself until the very end. No spoilers here, but the ending does not compromise anything that was so carefully and quietly set up in the previous hour and a half.

The two leads, Gethin Anthony and Frederikke Dahl Hansen, are fantastic. They really sell it and Hansen, in particular, is a wonder to watch. Her subtle performance goes that extra mile so naturally that it's nearly shocking this is only her third feature film. Keep an eye on her career. She's got moxie! I don't know moxie is but whatever it is, she's definitely got it. But seriously, I think I could have fallen in love with Effy, too, only it would be even more gross for someone three times her age, much less twice. Effy is a fun and endearing character that makes it all too easy for William to find himself falling for such a free spirit. Anthony has the unenviable role of starting out a picture as a right angry a$$hole (to his best friend and everyone else) and gradually transforming into a warm and caring man. Between his performance and Raso's script and direction, he pulls it off.

Copenhagen is a beautiful city and Alan Poon's camera captures it with such detail, admiration and allure that it's practically an invitation to be a part of it. This is his first narrative feature film as cinematographer. The young talent associated with this picture is staggering and most impressive. Hell, it's Raso's first feature film as well. His choices in music for the picture, from the Danish songs to Agatha Kaspar's score (her first feature, too!), only add to the magic of the film. The song that Effy sings at the karaoke bar is mesmerizing and it feels like the grounding moment that solidifies the bond she now has with William. It's a powerful scene.

Ultimately, the maturity of Raso and his co-conspirators in art and beauty boils down to a pivotal scene near the close of the film. The choice Raso makes with these two characters hinges on making or breaking the film and he does exactly what was needed to stay true to their story. I kept waiting for the ball to drop, not for my lack of knowledge about these film makers but because so often there's something that will take you out of a picture that has worked so hard to keep your attention. It might not ruin it but it dilutes what was carefully constructed. COPENHAGEN doesn't compromise itself with convention or societal acceptance. The relationship William and Effy have is told with such grace that it pulls you in, making you care deeply for them, wanting it to somehow work out but knowing that it shouldn't. The moment they kiss for the first time (don't worry, it's nicely done) took me back 30 years to when I had those 'first' moments, moments I haven't felt in a very long time. That's how much I was drawn into this picture. How it plays out (the film and not my teenage love life) and how it concludes is a journey you need to take. Keep this on your radar. Hopefully it will be available to the public by the end of this year.

There is one redeeming feature in this movie - the beautiful city of Copenhagen which I hope to visit someday. Beyond that, we have a less- than convincing portrayal of a forbidden romance between Will, an American-born twenty- something and Effy, a Danish teenager, with the teenager pulling most of the strings. The ostensible reason for the film, which is the desire of of Will to meet his Danish grandfather for the first time, gets short shrift amid this contrived interplay between the two characters. Frankly, that story would have been more compelling. It was cutesy at some point, if that's your cup of tea.

Some misguided critics describe this as "coming of age" film. Who, exactly, is coming of age? One is an adult and the other is a child. Like many a young male adult, the writer seems to think it is okay to pursue a relationship with an underage teenage girl. There are potential clues as to her age, but Will manages to miss them, until it is convenient to discover them. He then offers a half-hearted resistance before engaging in an inappropriate nude scene (perhaps even sex) with her.

I came across this low-budget independent movie on Netflix streaming movies. Just over 90 minutes, I hated watching most of it not because it wasn't interesting. It is a very interesting character study of two people from very different backgrounds. But the guy is so obnoxious, so self-centered, that I wanted to reach into the screen and punch him out. But I suspect that is what the director wanted us to feel.

There is an additional complexity to the story in that his friend is going to get married in Europe, but Gethin Anthony is 30-ish "American" William, who alternately says he is from New York or from Canada, seemingly cautious about the reception he might get from Europeans. His mission is to find his grandfather and his only clues are an old letter from his deceased father and some old photos.

Quite by accident he meets 14-ish ("I will be 15 in a few days") Frederikke Dahl Hansen as Effy. In her home country she is quite an experienced young actress and she is great in this role. She has such an interesting and pretty face, and such a natural acting style that she never seems like she is acting, she really seems to be her character and she, more than he, makes the movie what it is.

(An important side note, there are romantic scenes including brief topless nudity in a hotel room, but the actress was in fact over 18 during filming and this is stated clearly also in the end credits.)

So the story arc over a couple of days has Effy helping him figure out ways to find his grandfather and William growing up a bit in how he relates to people. He finds his grandfather who asks him "Was you father a good dad"? To which William responds, "No he wasn't, but he didn't much example to go on."

A good film for a different style, I couldn't stop watching it.

SPOILERS: Before they part both William and Effy claim they love each other, for William the first time he has reached that level of caring for anyone. For Effy it was a childhood infatuation, she probably didn't yet know what love really was. He heads back home, she heads back to her school classes. In the very end she is being cradled by her mom who asks if she is too old for a certain birthday treat and she says no, indicating that she indeed is still a little girl, but one with unusual wisdom for her age.

Major spoilers below. This is a great movie if you like a mellow thoughtful drama.

Spoilers beyond this point.

This is what I thought about the movie: William was a damaged person who could never relate to women. Women found him attractive, but all he did through his whole life was have sex with them and throw them away.

When he was in Copenhagen he really needed Effy's help and he wanted to sleep with her badly, but when he found out she was 14 the fear of getting in trouble kept him from doing it, but then something else happened. Since the legality slowed him down he really had to get to know her and he really did love her deeply and not just as a girlfriend, he loved her as a person. She was his friend and girlfriend though unconsummated.

When they were in the hotel and she wanted to have sex with him he wanted to very badly, but I think at this point it was no the law that stopped him. What stopped him was that he really cared for her and he knew she was too young and it would be bad for her so he stopped himself.

I would guess Effy's motivations were that she never really had a father so she was attracted to older men. Like is hinted at in the movie in the beginning, 'she needed someone to lean on.' William was a poor choice but as I said above her age and the law slowed him down enough so that he became that better person that she could lean on.

Perhaps in some ways it seemed erratic at the time, but I think this came to a head when he punched her mother's boyfriend. she wasn't going to let anyone hurt her no matter what the consequences.

Effy taught him a lot too, she helped him live and grow and you see this in the final scene when he observes the two seas she was talking about.

I have to say that now that this is on Netflix it is quite likely that this will reach a wide, wide audience and that Frederikke is going to be a huge star. She has the looks, the voice, beautiful accent, and the screen presence to be a major, major actress. She can do anything she wants after this movie. I believe this is her "Winter's Bone." Other than Frederikke the whole cast and the entire movie is just wonderful. watching it for the second time right now.

For those that say this is about a man taking advantage of a 14 year old girl....that is the last thing it is. It is about this girl helping this man to not just become a man, but to become a good man and she succeeds, even if it was not her intention.

I'm giving this 9 out of 10 stars.

It took me a few days to process the movie Copenhagen, which took home the Director's Choice Award for Best Feature – Drama from the Sedona International Film Festival. The movie held my interest and piqued my curiosity but left me feeling a little dirty.

It tells its story from the perspective of 20-something American tourist William. After a buddy trip to Europe is sabotaged by his friend's manipulative girlfriend, he finds himself in the Danish capital alone and angry.

There is only one thing on his "to-do" list – find his grandfather, about whom he knows nothing, and deliver a letter from his late father. It's not a done deal, either. All he has is a very old address.

Played by British actor Gethin Anthony, William is not looking forward to this errand. For him, the trip always was about getting laid. While he stews in the hotel lobby, he spies a blonde walking outside. The next morning, she winds up being his waitress in the hotel café.

Things get messy when she spills coffee on the envelope, blurring the address. He berates her until she says she got a look at the address and remembers it. Suddenly, he needs her help, but it's hard for him to shift gears from nasty to nice.

He pays the price, as Effy (20-year-old Copenhagen native Frederikke Dahl Hansen) sends him on a wild goose chase. Later that day, he finds her hanging out near the hotel and confronts her. A bit sheepish, she says she'll take him to the correct address. When they get there, they find not William's grandfather but the man's brother.

It's not a happy homecoming. Uncle Peter is hospitable enough but tells William that his grandfather was a terrible man – a Nazi collaborator who was imprisoned after the war and later disappeared. His wife, shunned in Danish society, had emigrated to America with her young son.

The uncle gives William some black-and-white photos of his father as a boy. Over the next couple of days, Effy leads William to the places where the photos were taken, snapping pictures of him striking the same poses as his father. Over the course of the visits, we find out that William's father had abandoned his family when William was a boy.

The Baby Elephant in the Room

How does Effy find so much time for William? She describes her hotel job as a sort of internship, part of her school's curriculum. He assumes – or at least tells himself – that she is a college student, yet he doesn't try to bed her instantly as he has every other nubile woman since we met him.

Despite her frequent claims that she needs to get home, she never actually goes. One starts to get a creepy feeling. Is she hiding from a hellish home life? Does she even have a home? (She never seems to change clothes.) She does make a vaguely negative reference to her mother's boyfriend; is he forcing himself on her or pimping her out?

Eventually, she reveals that she's only 14 years old. That's when things get really creepy, because by this time moviegoers are invested in their developing relationship.

Confronting Reality

Around this time, the voice of reason arrives when William's erstwhile travel buddy, Jeremy (Sebastian Armesto), returns to Copenhagen, having been dumped by the girlfriend in London. The attention Effy gives to Jeremy makes William jealous, leading to an argument during which Jeremy learns the truth about Effy and calls them out.

To William: "Nobody likes you. You connect with teenagers."

To Effy: "He's that stranger you're not supposed to talk to."

When the men start to scuffle, Effy flees. Jeremy storms off, leaving William alone once again.

After a couple of pathetic conversations with Effy's voicemail, William heads out to a nightclub, where the film takes on a shadowy, race-against-the-night quality. He's about to score a threesome with two American girls – a home run for pre-Copenhagen William – when Effy turns up, having finally listened to his messages. He walks away from the Americans to focus on Effy. Is this a sign of progress for William?

Some of the club staff greet Effy with familiarity, raising more questions about her lifestyle now that we know her age. Another man at the bar recognizes her and drags her out. William pursues and forces the man to let her go. As they flee, Effy tells William it was her mother's boyfriend.

A brief stop at Effy's home to get her laptop reveals little, though the darkened apartment certainly doesn't convey a happy home life. Effy's mom emerges when her boyfriend arrives, but they are too focused on each other to notice Effy and William sneaking out.

By this point, William and Effy have admitted their romantic feelings for each other. Back in his hotel room, they begin to act on their hormones.

With a normal movie romance, the audience usually roots for the couple to … couple. But given the characters' ages, we are left to squirm as they start disrobing. Will they ignore the elephant in the room and consummate their fantasy relationship? Or will William acknowledge that, as the movie's website puts it: "When the girl of your dreams is half your age, it's time to grow up."

There are two epilogues to Copenhagen, both of which take place in the light of day. William makes a final effort to locate his grandfather and learn why the males in his family are so screwed up. We see Effy, looking and behaving very much like a teenager, waiting in class to present a report including photos she took of William – and curling up with her mother on a couch at home.

***warning, possible spoilers*** this movie should be studied in film classes: you watch it, enjoy it, but don't really realize the effectiveness of the writer and director until later. Here is what happens:

1. An analogy best explains this film: we have all probably seen a video of a master with his dog. Sitting in front of the dog is the most delectable treat imaginable to the dog. The dog does nothing even though every fiber of its being wants to gobble up that treat. It is waiting for its masters command. The Masters here are the writer and director, the dog is the male lead. The girl is the treat (and not in a prurient sense). She says she will be 15 (the age of consent) "in a few days". He wants to pounce (But not in a sexual sense even though there is obvious physical attraction).

2. The age difference is not for shock value. It is a very effective plot device relating to 1 above.

3. They are alone in a hotel room, both drunk (largely at his insistence). She is the aggressor. The reality is he cannot believe she is only 14 and repeatedly says that throughout the movie. She tries to seduce him, taking off her blouse and kissing him which he appears to accept.

4. The "masters" do not outright state that they did not sleep together but instead, more effectively, make that clear by: they both wake up in bed fully clothed (she must have put her top back on) in sharp contrast to his other many dalliances where he graphically wakes up with a naked partner; just prior to this he turns down an offer that most males his age dream about – two beautiful drunk girls try to drag him back to their hotel for a threesome. Instead of going with the women, he is much more concerned about having hurt the girl's feelings and rushes out of the bar, leaving the women, to try to call the girl and apologize for acting like a jerk. So, the attraction is not about sex per se. there is much more to his feelings for the girl and he is clearly conflicted. He does not sleep with her.

5. There is more to him than meets the eye: he is in Denmark to find his grandfather and understand why he was abandoned by his father. The girl, with a great heart and overlooking the fact that he is superficially an insensitive jerk sees something deeper in him and embraces the cause of him finding his past and takes it upon herself to help him.

6. The girl, is far more substantial and mature than the women he has been sleeping with (who is really older, the girl or his earlier partners?). She too, has a troubled family but is very close to her mother and wants to help him resolve that part of his life.

7. In one effective scene, he simply glances down a street and sees a father briefly interacting with his son (short and effective).

8. The most effective scene in the movie: she takes him to a museum. She brings him to a dark corner where there is a bust. She tells him she has never brought anyone there before. She stands next to the bust. It is an exact image of the girl. She tells him she is really hundreds of years old and he says the bust is 1500 years old. This scene is a metaphor for what the movie accomplishes. After 1500 years, here she (who posed for the bust) is here again, resurrected, with the human traits that allowed us to survive over those 1500 years: the yearning for family, love, and a striving for happiness even in an imperfect world. In other hands this might seem corny, here it is movie-making genius.

i let the description deter me for a long time and i regret that because its super awesome. netflix kept recommending it to me but in the description it talks about a guy and a 14yo girl so of course i'm creeped out but i was home alone with an injury for days and bored to death so i watched it and i loved loved it. if you can't handle the anti-hero it's not for you; william is flawed and a jerk bordering on loser but i was routing for him the whole time and that is excellent character building to me. effie is great; wise and a free spirit but still vulnerable. their back and forth dialogue is unforced and natural; love that not every single thing is explained in depth and the audience is allowed to draw their own conclusions. the setting and the way its shot is brilliant! here comes the spoilers...god, when she is singing to him in the karaoke bar and the way he looks at her, i'm happily married but i've never had a man look at me like that, like he can't believe she's even real. the struggle of it being so right in the face of logic, true romance to me. there are times the characters speaking aren't even in the frame and it just feels so natural. great soundtrack too. the fact that europe is making movies (and TV) like this with English actors playing Americans while Hollywood is pushing out the latest melissa mccarthy embarrassment is a true signal to me that Hollywood's time is drawing near. i hope they make a sequel and call it new york city and when she's 18 visits him and they have adventures and get their HEA because at the end of the day i'm still a girl and like the mush.

William is an angry young man. But we don't know why. He punches the screen of his laptop in frustration, throws beer cans across the street because his friend walks away, throws a bike to the ground for the same reason, litters a canal and leaves messages littered with the f-word to his friend on the phone - all of which might represent the sort of behaviour we could expect from a fourteen year old boy trying hard to appear grown-up. Interestingly however, there is another fourteen year old character in the film - Effy - and she has the maturity and composure that William lacks despite being half his age. For me this highlighted the problem with this film - there's no coming of age conclusion drawn for William, he simply cannot learn and I was left with the feeling that he will always be that way. On the other hand, fourteen year old Effy will have learned a lot about the kind of young man William is - and she will quickly outgrow him and his loutish type, even though she gave the impression she already had by the end of the film.

As regards the sex with an underage girl issue that rapidly develops into the main topic for the film (the family tracing thing being merely a carrier thread - a shame really as there seemed more mileage in that storyline), well the "will he-won't he?" drama turned into more of a "why would she want to?" question for me and could be seen as failing here given that William appears younger than Effy in both the emotional and maturity senses. A missed opportunity perhaps.

So then, why am I reviewing this film? Well it's not to mention the actor playing the William character, as by cutting and pasting any one of a number of young male actors into the angry young man role would have sufficed, but instead it's to mention the young woman playing the Effy role - Frederikke Dahl Hansen - she was simply magnificent.