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Dear Wendy (2004)
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America's love affair with guns is cleverly satirised in this thought-provoking drama from Festen director Thomas Vinterberg. His second English-language feature, it's intelligently written by his Dogme 95 colleague Lars von Trier. In a mature and convincing performance, Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell plays a fervent pacifist in a poor American mining town who sets up a secret gun-worshipping club called the Dandies. Based on the rule of “never draw your weapons”, the flamboyantly styled organisation becomes a means of empowerment for other local outcasts. By having these young people literally viewing their weapons as their romantic partners (the whole film is a love letter from Bell to his gun), the tale provocatively reflects on the US right to bear arms. It's quirky and imaginatively constructed, with every element from soundtrack to costumes serving a vital function. Yet, most crucially, the picture is also a stinging comment on individuality and intolerance, resulting in a shocking and tragic climax. SF
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| Contains swearing, violence. |
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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100min
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Country of origin
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Den / Ger / UK / Fr / Nor / Swe
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Genre
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Satirical Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Lars von Trier
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Theatrical distributor
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Metrodome
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UK cinema certificate
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15
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UK cinema release date
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August 2005
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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