Terribly Happy

Danish cinema needs some more support. This was incredible.

Danish cinema needs some more support. This was incredible.

Terribly Happy is a Danish film about a disgraced Copenhagen cop who is assigned as marshall of a small town where the locals are used to doing things their way - from hanging laundry to delivering justice. Unfortunately I hadn’t seen the trailer before watching this film, so I was expecting a comedy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. While this movie did have some humor, it is definitely not a comedy. I’m not even sure it can be considered a dark comedy. It mostly just dark. I later watch the trailer and noticed a quote from Variety’s review of the film, which states that it “plays with the genre in a manner that can be compared to The Coen Brothers or David Lynch.” After thinking about it, I came to a better understanding of the film. At first it had left a very bad taste in my mouth - but I couldn’t exactly pin point what it was about the film that I didn’t care for. Now I realize that I just didn’t understand it, I didn’t see a purpose - Until I read that review quote. It’s not only a different take on films like Hot Fuzz, but it is also playing with typical film tropes: the love triangle, the fight for honor, and even the ending; they are all picked apart and put back together in a way that resembles something very different - which is way some people may think this movie very awkward at first glance. This is why it deserves a closer look. Or at least a second thought.

Terribly Happy is a Danish film about a disgraced Copenhagen cop who is assigned as marshall of a small town where the locals are used to doing things their way - from hanging laundry to delivering justice. Unfortunately I hadn’t seen the trailer before watching this film, so I was expecting a comedy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. While this movie did have some humor, it is definitely not a comedy. I’m not even sure it can be considered a dark comedy. It mostly just dark. I later watch the trailer and noticed a quote from Variety’s review of the film, which states that it “plays with the genre in a manner that can be compared to The Coen Brothers or David Lynch.” After thinking about it, I came to a better understanding of the film. At first it had left a very bad taste in my mouth - but I couldn’t exactly pin point what it was about the film that I didn’t care for. Now I realize that I just didn’t understand it, I didn’t see a purpose - Until I read that review quote. It’s not only a different take on films like Hot Fuzz, but it is also playing with typical film tropes: the love triangle, the fight for honor, and even the ending; they are all picked apart and put back together in a way that resembles something very different - which is way some people may think this movie very awkward at first glance. This is why it deserves a closer look. Or at least a second thought.