Before
Game of Thrones, snobby critics used
to just lump fantasy in with kids’ books and movies, like it was all cut from
the same Lloyd Alexander cloth. That changed when “Grim Dark” became the
hottest thing going. As the GRRM clones proliferate, it is rather refreshing to
see a fantasy film that does not have any scenes in brothels. There are some
“intense action scenes,” as the disclaimers say, but families should mostly
feel comfortable in Kenneth Kainz's Danish fantasy feature, The Shamer’s Daughter (trailer here), which screens
for free during the Kids Euro Festival in Metro DC.
Dina
is the “lucky” sister. She is a shamer, just like her mother, Melussina. That
means they have the power to look into men’s eyes and force them to confront
their deepest, most shameful secrets. They also seem to have limited powers of
suggestion, sort of like Jedi. As a young shamer, Dina does not have full
control of her powers yet, which has led to fear and resentment among her peers.
When
Nicodemus Ravens, the heir to the principality, stands accused of killing his father
his half-brother Drakans summons Melussina to divine the truth. When she does
not produce the answer he is looking for, he calls in Dina as a second opinion.
She also finds the somewhat neurotic prince not guilty, so Drakans opts to kill
them both. Somehow, Nicodemus manages to escape with Dina, but Drakans is hot
on their heels. He will be a formidable foe, thanks to the dragon blood he
ingests. It gives him accelerated healing powers and renders him nearly
invulnerable to the shaming process. Plus, he has the additional advantage of
being a sociopath who does not feel shame.
The
Macguffin of weaponized guilt that originated in Lene Kaaberbøl’s novels is
rather clever. Screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen maintains a consistent system
of magic, but the sequel-setting conclusion almost laughable snatched a
to-be-continue ending out of the jaws of closure.
Regardless,
it is jolly fun to soak up all the surviving medieval European locations. Plus,
there are rather realistic dragons. The effects exceed expectations and the
production values are definitely on the high side.
Rebecca
Emilie Sattrup is an appealingly scrappy as Dina, holding up quite resiliently throughout
the course of the film. Jakob Oftebro certainly looks the part of the heroic
prince, but as a character, Ravens is annoyingly petulant and pliable. Yet, he
is also bizarrely hard to kill, escaping absolutely, metaphysically certain
death several times over through dubious contrivances (none of which is
Oftebro’s fault). However, Søren Malling will be the one who wins over genre
fans with his hardnosed portrayal of the castle’s weaponsmaster, the film’s
Gurney Halleck figure. Seriously, if there is anyone who looks like he was born
to a steely fantasy warrior, it would be Malling.
