Cyclone Rewind: Copenhagen
February 4, 2015
Copenhagen is a place of beauty and a place of history. Tourists arrive there for both reasons, but its history is what has brought William (Gethin Anthony) there.
William is in search of his grandfather to pass on a letter that William’s father never sent to his grandfather. William decides to get the letter to his grandfather, despite the fact that his father had left him when he was a boy.
Due to the fact that his father was not around, William is immature and has a lot of built up anger. He is reckless and lost in the city until he meets Effy — Frederikke Dahl Hansen a more mature woman than he has ever known.
William and Effy build a connection, as she is interested in helping him find his grandfather. Slowly, William comes to see Effy as the missing object in his heart that his father had left there. The problem? Effy is not a woman at all, she is 14.
After William discovers her age, they struggle to locate where their relationship should head. The unlikely and illegal circumstances of a relationship lead them both to realizations about the directions their lives are heading.
William finally realizes that he needs to grow up after he nearly had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl. The fact of her youth and expression of her maturity lead him to man up and finish the journey on his own.
Effy realizes she needs to slow down and finish being a girl. She does not need to be so mature. It took William’s reluctance to deflower her to help her figure this out.
This intriguing, uncomfortable and inspiring story of discovery was written excellently. This is because of those contradictory feelings it evokes.
It is intriguing by its very nature. We want to know what the letter says. We want to know where the relationship will go.
It is uncomfortable as we expect a cliché love story to unfold. It does not, which is awkward in its own way, but the most uneasy piece of the puzzle is that Effy is 14 and the relationship would be illegal.
It is inspiring as both characters begin to discover themselves. William begins to let go of the resentment he has toward his father and learns that some journeys must be done alone. Effy realizes to cherish her youth while she has it.
It is also a feel-good type of story as William gets the letter to its destination. He is able to grow past the resentment for his father from the vindication he gets from meeting his grandfather.
The acting of these two little-known actors was engaging and precise. I believed the character traits of both and I connected with the words they spoke.
This film was also the directing debut of Mark Raso. I hope he continues to bring more successful films. I especially enjoyed his selection and placement of music throughout the film. I look forward to his next one.
3.5/5