Esther and her husband, Poul, gather their family for a weekend together. The occasion is not a happy one; Esther suffers from an incurable disease and has made a momentous decision to prevent the ailment from worsening by taking her life. The family supports the plan at first but as the weekend draws to a close, the solution becomes unimaginable for daughters, Sanne and Heide. Nonetheless, the family’s change of heart with Esther’s fate is not the only drama to ensue.
Silent Heart is the latest film from director Bille August, known best for Pelle the Conqueror (1987), which was awarded the Palme d‘Or in Cannes and won the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, catapulting him to fame and making it possible for him to start working with Hollywood actors (The House of the Spirits, Les Misérables). In Silent heart, Bille August turns to a well-known theme in modern Danish cinema: a family reunion, during which old wrongs come to light in the midst of a fatal situation. Condensed in terms of both time and space, the film is crowned by excellent performances from its actors.
SILENT HEART (Stille hjerte, Dánsko, 2014, 98 minut)
Director: Bille August
Cinematography: Dirk Brüel
Music: Annette Focks
Starring: Ghita Nørby, Paprika Steen, Danica Curcic, Morten Grunwald, Pilous Asbæk, Jens Albinus, Vigga Bro, Oskar Sælan Halskov
The film page at IMDB (7,2/10).
The film will be screened in original Danish version provided by Czech subtitles.
The screening will be introduced by a few words about the director.
Entrance fee: CZK 120
Tickets online reservation: www.evald.cz.
The event is organized in cooperation with Czech distribution company CinemArt, Danish Embassy in Prague and Danish Film Institute.
