Sons of Denmark Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Sons of Denmark Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 15, 2021

Aren’t the Scandinavian countries supposed to be among the most chill (no pun intended) and laid back places in the world? Some might be reexamining those kinds of presumptions after having watched the disturbing Sons of Denmark, a film which ostensibly takes place in the very near future in the titular country, but which sure feels like we’ve actually been watching it unfold on our television screens in any number of nations, and rather recently at that. The film begins in 2024 in Copenhagen, where a midday meeting between two lovers is harrowingly interrupted by a huge explosion, which is then revealed via a segue to 2025 to have been a major terrorist event which killed scores of Danes. A right wing anti-immigrant politician named Martin Nordahl (Rasmus Bjerg) is becoming increasingly popular with his no nonsense diatribes against foreigners, whom he insists are the sole reason for all of Denmark's problems in general and most certainly terrorism in particular. The film then introduces a teen kid named Zakaria (Mohammed Ismail Mohammed), who is shown cleaning up some horrifying "messages" left for his neighborhood full of those of Middle Eastern descent by the very folks who find Nordahl's anti-immigrant fervor so appealing. Already, this tale of the near future seems like it is "ripped from the headlines" material from right now.

In some ways, the fact that Sons of Denmark details what some at least would call the "radicalization" of Zakaria should come as no great surprise, but what is so bracing about this film (written and directed by relative newcomer Ulaa Salim, whose first narrative feature this is) is how it makes the audience question who exactly are the radicals and what exactly "radicalization" might mean. In this regard, it's absolutely salient to note the bridge between the introduction of Nordahl and the introduction of Zakaria, in that those who might be accused of having been "radicalized" by Nordahl obviously decided to react in Zakaria's own neighborhood, perhaps then sparking an "equal and opposite" response.

Zakaria is shown to be a "good boy" with a solid, loving home life and a desire to do the "right thing", as evidenced by his help cleaning up the mess left by the Nordahl supporters early in the film. Even his initial forging of a relationship with more of a firebrand instigator character named Hassan (Imad Abul-Foul) comes from a place of honorable intentions, though the well known aphorism about how good intentions populate the road to hell might be kept in mind as the story progresses.

If the early part of the film could be seen as a redaction of any given season of Homeland, albeit told largely from the supposed terrorists' point of view, the film takes a rather interesting detour part way through by focusing on another major character, Ali (Zaki Youssef), a Danish intelligence officer whose very name might disclose ostensibly competing loyalties. It's here that Sons of Denmark offers what is arguably its most provocative content, one which further blurs the line between the so-called radicalizers and those under their sway.

The film offers a number of excellent performances from a variety of actors without a ton of professional experience to their names (at least as evidenced by their IMDb listings). In fact it looks like as of the writing of this review star Mohammed Ismail Mohammed has only this film to his credit, but as with Salim, he makes a rather auspicious feature film debut. But both Zaki Youssef and Asil Mohamad Habib (as Zakaria's mother) are incredibly memorable as well.

Sons of Denmark is undeniably provocative and ultimately moving (if predictably so), and it certainly augurs well for the career of Salim, who makes a more than memorable feature debut with this piece. There are some drawbacks along the way, including Salim's propensity for screed like dialogue that can seem overly contrived. Character development is a bit wobbly at times, too, as is the entire context of the immigrant population in Denmark (I'm frankly still uncertain if this particular aspect is rooted in actual fact). That said, the film moves briskly and is often fraught with incredible tension. If you're not getting enough tension from your actual headlines these days, Sons of Denmark might provide a booster of sorts.

Sons of Denmark Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sons of Denmark is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment and Montage Pictures with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. I haven't been able to track down any authoritative technical data on the shoot, but this is a nicely sharp and well detailed looking presentation with an understanding that large swaths of the story play out in intentionally dark, shadowy environments. Still, Salim and cinematographer Eddie Klint often offer appealing pops of color in otherwise largely black or dim framings, as can be seen in several screenshots accompanying this review, and general saturation throughout here is consistently nice looking. Some interior footage looks relatively soft, and there are even a few passing moments where the image almost refracts, as if a defective lens had been used. Outdoor material tends to pop quite well in the daytime scenes, but can give in to a bit of murk in some of the darkest nighttime material. There are brief snippets of what are either archival videos or newly shot stuff meant to look like archival videos, as well as other passing elements like supposed close circuit footage that can understandably look a bit ragged.

Sons of Denmark Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sons of Denmark features a nicely rendered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is often rather subtle, especially in some of the indoor material, but which does provide some noticeable surround activity. Some of the group meetings Zakaria attends afford good background clamor to spill into the side and rear channels, and the horrifying explosion that starts the film out with a literal bang provides a brief burst of LFE. Scoring also provide a nice immersive bed of sound. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout this problem free track. Optional English subtitles are available.

Sons of Denmark Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 2:05)

Eureka! Entertainment provided only a check disc for purposes of this review, but Eureka!'s website indicates this comes with a DVD as well as a booklet featuring new writing on the film by film writer Jason Wood, and an interview with director Ulaa Salim.

Sons of Denmark Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Even if you're not in the United States, as I am, and not recovering from a horrible week of politically inspired news and (according to some at least) terrorism, Sons of Denmark could hardly be more relevant. The film raises several important questions without attempting to provide overly pat answers. If Salim's writing can seem screed like at times, his underlying tenets are provocative and certainly worthy of debate. The film is certainly an audacious feature debut for writer and director Ulaa Salim, as it is for star Mohammed Ismail Mohammed. Several members of the supporting cast are also memorable and the film, while undeniably sad, is remarkably humane. Technical merits are solid, and even without much in the way of supplements, Sons of Denmark comes Recommended.