Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: Charlotte Brodthagen
Starring: Freja Klint Sandberg, Lene Maria Christensen, Birthe Neumann
Many a family drama has been set at Christmas, because for many families it's the one time of year when everyone gets together for an inevitable annual dust-up. Debuting director Charlotte Brodthagen's Danish family drama Three of a Kind employs a Yuletide backdrop and checks most of the expected boxes. If you're expecting estranged relatives to get on each other's nerves until a blow-up reveals long held resentments, you'll be well served here. But what makes Brodthagen's debut stand out is its intimacy. The usual overcrowded family home is whittled down to three women here, allowing a trio of impressive actresses to share centre stage.
Twentysomething eternal student Luis (Frija Klint Sandberg) is set for a bittersweet Christmas with her mother Christel (Lene Maria Christensen). Christel is in the final stages of terminal cancer and both she and Luis are determined to put on a brave face and enjoy their final Christmas together. Things get messy when Luis takes it upon herself to invite her grandmother Vivi (Birthe Neumann) against her mother's wishes.
Christel has a complicated relationship with Vivi, whose alcoholism made for a tough childhood, and she doesn't need the added stress of putting up with her mother over the holidays. Vivi is unaware of her daughter's condition, and Christel orders Luis not to spill the beans. But there are some things you just can't hide from your mother, and when the truth comes out Vivi and Christel are forced to confront their troubled relationship.
Plotwise, Three of a Kind doesn't break any new ground, but this is first and foremost a character drama. Brodthagen, her co-writer Simon Weil, and the three leads create three women who keep us captivated. In classic Northern European fashion, Vivi, Christel and Luis dance around their issues with passive aggression until tongues are loosened by alcohol during a very awkward Christmas dinner.
The movie beautifully details the conflicts between these three women, but also between their generations. Vivi is of the generation that believes in simply getting on with things and ignoring your troubles. Gen-Z Luis is quite the opposite, and she tries her best to get the two older women to confront their issues. Christel is caught somewhere in between, believing her daughter is too upfront while also resenting her mother's lack of warmth. This generation gap also makes for some amusing comic interludes, like a fraught trip to a recycling centre in which Christel is caught in the middle of an argument between Vivi and Luis over how rubbish should be separated.
That scene sees Christel throw away many of her most prized possessions, including her CD collection and paintings from a time when she harboured artistic ambitions. How the three women react to this moment tells us a lot about their relationship with Christel. Completely lacking sentiment, Vivi encourages her daughter to chuck it all away, but Luis is hurt by the idea of her mother tossing away so many memories. In a charming later scene, Christel whips out a CD her daughter encouraged her to hang onto and the three women have a joyously goofy dance.
Sandberg and Neumann have the showier roles with Luis insisting on trying to talk out every issue while Vivi constantly chatters about everything except the sort of things you should really be discussing when your daughter has just revealed she has months to live. They're both electric in their own ways, but it's Christensen's subtle performance that quietly wins and breaks our hearts. Scared but resilient, Christel is more concerned with making things easier for her daughter than worrying about herself. Christensen's warm portrayal radiates maternal love, and is a tribute to the selflessness of mothers everywhere.
