Twist and Shout Review
By Christopher Null
In his second film, director Bille August (best known for the monumental disaster Smilla's Sense of Snow) attempts to capture both his national zeitgeist and the perils of youth in one fell swoop. And he does, to some extent.
It's 1963, and Beatlemania is sweeping Scandinavia, too. Bjorn (Adam Tønsberg) and Erik (Lars Simonsen) are part of a Beatles cover band, and they enjoy similiar noteriety as the real group. They even have groupies, which leads to a complicated love quadrangle, with Bjorn liking frizzy-haired Anna (Camilla Søeberg), Erik liking blonde dimwit Kirsten (Ulrikke Bondo), and Kirsten liking Bjorn. As the teens tiptoe their way into love, sex, and the parental deceit that naturally comes with both, jealousy, betrayal, and biology all conspire to get in the way.
At the same time, August doesn't ever get sentimental, so those expecting an American-style coming of age movie should think twice. Twist and Shout is cold to the point of being depressing (and the title is awfully misleading). The moments of uplift in the film are rare, and they might lead you to believe that no one gets out of their teen years alive.
Reportedly the highest-grossing film in its native country ever, where it is known under the tongue-dancing title Tro, håb og kærlighed, American audiences will find Twist and Shout a curious counterpoint to New World teen dramas like Dead Poets Society and even Dirty Dancing -- with which Twist and Shout unwittingly has a great deal in common. Oddly, this isn't really one for the kids, though.
Comes in a two-disc DVD pack with August's first film, the similarly themed Zappa (and actually a better movie).
Facts and Figures
Year: 1984
Run time: 60 mins
In Theaters: Friday 18th December 1987
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5
IMDB: 3.8 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Bille August
Producer: Per Holst
Screenwriter: Bille August, Bjarne Reuter
Starring: Adam Tønsberg as Bjørn, Lars Simonsen as Erik, Camilla Søeberg as Anna, Ulrikke Bondo as Kirsten, Nielsen, Thomas Borch as Henning, Bjørns lillebror, Lone Lindorff as Bjørns mor, Arne Hansen as Bjørns far, Aase Hansen as Eriks mor, Bent Mejding as Eriks far, Malene Schwartz as Kirstens mor, Troels Munk as Kirstens far, Helle Spanggaard as Inge, Kirstens søster, Kurt Ravn as Kurt, Inges forlovede, Grethe Mogensen as Annas mor, Elga Olga Svendsen as Bjørns mormor, Willy Jacobsen as Bjørns morfar, Ingelise Ullner as Bjørns moster, Bent Biran as Bjørns onkel, Jytte Strandberg as Bjørns tante, Nina Christoffersen as Kvaksalveren
Also starring: Per Holst, Bille August, Bjarne Reuter