Festen
The successful and widely respected businessman Helge turns 60 and this should be celebrated. A festive dinner is laid on at the family hotel and everyone is in attendance: Helge's wife Else, his sons Christian and Michael, his daughter Helene and, of course, all the entourage and many friends. Daughter Linda is not there; she recently ended her life. At the crowded table, Christian gets up to give his birthday speech, but instead of fĂȘtting his father, he recounts how the latter used to sexually abused Linda and himself, leaving everyone at the table bewildered.
This intense family drama is the first film made entirely according to the rules of the Dogma 95 manifesto. And it was also a very successful film, as evidenced by the dozens of film awards it won. Director Thomas Vinterberg, later successful with Jagten and Druk, is not mentioned in the credits, exactly as the Dogma commandments dictate.
