Facing the Truth (film)

Facing the Truth (Danish: At kende sandheden) is a 2002 Danish drama written and directed by Nils Malmros. Shot in black-and-white documentary style, and based on the real life of Malmros' father, the film relates the hardships of a young neurosurgeon struggling through a medical lawsuit. Malmros, whose films are known for their realism, is educated as a surgeon and performed all the film's brain surgery scenes.[1] The film was nominated for the 2003 Bodil Award for Best Danish Film and won the 2003 Danish Film Academy's Robert Award for Film of the Year.[2]

Facing the Truth
Front cover of the Danish DVD for
Facing the Truth
Directed byNils Malmros
Produced byThomas Heinesen
Written byNils Malmros
John Mogensen
StarringJens Albinus
William Rosenberg
Lise Stegger
Music byGunner Møller Pedersen
CinematographyJan Weincke
Edited byBirger Møller Jensen
Distributed byNordisk Film
Release date
October 25, 2002
Running time
98 minutes
CountryDenmark
LanguageDanish

Synopsis

The film opens in 1944, as a young fisherman who has suffered a stroke due to aneurysm is being attended to by a neurosurgeon, Dr. Richard Malmros (Jens Albinus). Malmros operates on the fisherman after injecting him with Thorotrast, a radioactive contrast medium, and the operation is a success. However, 42 years later, the patient develops liver cancer and dies. His widow sues the hospital claiming that the Thorotrast caused the liver cancer. The story flashes back through the life of Richard Malmros. As a child he lived in poverty. His father is unemployed due to World War I. His childhood and later life are greatly influenced by his aunt who is a devout Christian and always warns about the danger of sin. The story continues through his schoolboy days, his university education, and his marriage, which he feels tricked into. The film focuses on the ambiguity of the 'truth' reported in the media as well as the personal dilemma that Richard Malmros faced: his knowledge of the dangers of Thorotrast, and the decision he had to make when there were no alternatives. He could use the Thorotrast, or risk having them die right there, and this was a decision he had to make. The old Richard acknowledges that if he had known what he knows today, clearly some patients should not have been given Thorotrast. Although he is vindicated in court, he remains haunted by feelings of guilt, which he carries from the strong influence of his aunt in his childhood.

Cast
ActorRole
Jens AlbinusRichard Malmros as an adult
William RosenbergRichard Malmros as old man
Lise SteggerEli
Søren ØstergaardMalmros' son as an adult
Preben HansPastor Bork
Peter SchrøderKnoblau
Lasse Broust AndersenRichard Malmros as child
Elin ReimerEli as old woman
Anni BjørnAunt Johanne
Sofie Deplace JørgensenEli's girlfriend
Mette KoldingIda's Mother
Malene Langborg5. Classmate
Nynne Karen NørlundKarl's Mother
Bente BanemannWaitress
Steffie Therese MortensenEli at 11
Anette Becker2. Classmate
Birthe NeumanEli's Mother
Camilla Helene LindEli's girlfriend
Sina Houberg JægerLotte 5-years-old
Birthe BackhausenGrete Vedel
Søren ØstergaardNils Malmros as an adult
Jørgen BrorsenElo's Father
Hother BøndorfIsaksen
Ida DwingerRichard's Mother
Birgit Sadolinthe Mother

Awards

Facing the Truth won the Best Film at the 2003 Robert Awards. At the 2003 Mar del Plata Film Festival the film won Best Film and Nils Malmros received a Special Mention for "courage in portraying the ambiguity of truth." At the 2003 Bodil Awards the film was nominated for Best Danish Film and Jens Albinus won the Bodil for Best Actor.[3]

gollark: I do if it does useless checks like that!
gollark: If they don't/can't/shouldn't be able to know what the data is, it's perfectly fine to just send random stuff.
gollark: Or generate and digitally sign some random data.
gollark: So just generate & store random data?
gollark: B: ON EVERY FUNCTION CALL? That sounds astonishingly poorly designed.

References
  1. Skotte, Kim (25 October 2002). "At kende sandheden". Politiken (in Danish).
  2. Damsgaard, Lasse (5 February 2003). "Fra Robert-fest til Løgstør". Nordjyske (in Danish).
  3. Theil, Per (18 April 2003). "Lad os elske det umulige". Berlingske Tidende (in Danish).

Further reading
  • Ulrich Breuning, ed. (2002). At kende sandheden : en bog om Nils Malmros' film & filmens manuskript [Facing the Truth: A Book About Nils Malmos' Film & the Film Script] (in Danish). Fisker.
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