Ole Bornedal's Just Another Love Story begins at the end. Our dubious hero, Jonas (Anders W. Berthelsen) is dead, lying in the rain. That life he once had -- the wife and the two kids, his job as crime-scene photographer -- all gone. Jonas' wife cradles his dead body as the film's narrator, the regrettably dead Jonas, speculates on his early demise. The audience is left to wonder: how did he get there. It's a film noir construct that works remarkably well in the suburbs of Denmark.
Jonas' downfall starts with a dramatic car accident. Crabby kids squabbling in the back seat, irritated wife complaining, old car misfiring. They stall and cause a deadly pile up. A speeding car with a beautiful weeping woman at the wheel passes and crashes into the car ahead, flips over. Jonas is able to pull her from the wreckage before the car bursts into flames.
At the hospital, the wealthy family of Julia (Rebecka Hemse) assumes that the visiting Jonas is Sebastian, the mysterious boyfriend they've never met. They positively embrace him. Jonas does not dispel this illusion. Nor does Julia, who has fallen into a coma. When she does wake up, she's blind. She has a lovely man by her side. She may not remember him, but he is devoted and kind.
What follows is a creepy, yet genuine love story. Berthelsen (Mifune, Italian for Beginners ) is an enormously appealing actor. The courtship may be the thriller's most thrilling part, until the real Sebastian (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) shows up. Though you know from the onset how it will end, Just Another Love Story is a gripping surprise.
Just Another Love Story (2009)
Starring: Anders Wodskou Berthelsen, Rebecka Hemse, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Charlotte Fich, Dejan CukicDirected by: Ole Bornedal
Produced by: Michael Obel
Release Date: January 9 (limited)
Running Time: 1 hr. 44 min.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
