The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

You cannot. Of course not. Still what I find brilliant and special with this film, is that all though child abuse is a main theme, it is still a film where you laugh. That Schønau Fog can make a film about such a horrific subject and still make you laugh. Not that this is a comedy, but because the situation is grotesque. In a child's view the situation in HIS family is normal, and that's (obviously) the point of view from which he (Allan, who's narration makes quite a lot of the "dialogue") tell us what happens: "Sanne makes Dad happy"...And is the only child abuse in the film what the father does with Sanne, or is Allan a victim as well? That the mother is abusing him by her escapistic use of sleeping pills? She actually leave the responsibility for the family's functionality with Allan, who then tries to "make Dad happy", whether it's by acting as a pimp ("Sanne, Dad is crying! You must go downstairs to him!") or by "pushing coincidence"! By... No, you must see this film!

Based on an autobiographical novel by Erling Jepsen, this drama/black comedy of a dysfunctional family takes place in southern Denmark close to the German border in the early 70'es. Jesper Asholt plays the family patriarch, a whining grocer, who has a hard time coping with changing times and family patterns. As a result, he constantly threatens his wife and kids that he'll commit suicide. While his wife escapes reality with sedatives, his young son Allan is determined to keep his father from killing himself. As his dad is only truly happy when he gets to deliver tearful speeches at local funerals, Allan sees no other option than to make sure there are plenty of funerals for his father to attend... If you think you know where this is going, watch this movie anyway, as it's got plenty of surprises and twists, changing from black comedy to heartbreaking drama, with some shattering, almost unbearably intense, albeit discreet, scenes of child abuse. Made with care, a genuine feel for time and place and destined to become a modern classic. Truly unforgettable, and an impressive feature debut for director Peter S. Fog.

I had the privilege of watching this at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Fest, and it's always great to discover new talent. Here, it's not just the discovery of Peter Schonau Fog, but also of the tremendous cast, especially young Jannik Lorenzen, who plays 11-year-old Allan to perfection with his cheeky bewilderment, and eventually with a heavy disappointment that accompanies his loss of innocence. The film reminds me of Schlondorff's The Tin Drum with its rather disturbing, yet comical theme of children growing up entirely too quickly, although The Art of Crying is, in my opinion, far more beautifully poignant as it is told through Allan's eyes.Henry (Jesper Asholt) is a milkman whose nightly suicide attempts and constant hysterics have driven his wife to taking sleeping pills every night to avoid him, and his son to university out of their sleepy rural village in Denmark. Henry's young son Allan (Lorenzen) adores him, and begins performing a series of bizarre acts in order to win his father's happiness, seeing nothing wrong with his father's manipulative actions and dysfunctional family dynamics.I enjoyed this portrayal of the tension between the rural and the urban, seen in Henry's interactions with his educated son Asger, his daughter Sanne's boyfriend the "moped rowdy" Per, and his neighbour the Buddes, who have introduced self-service at their rival grocery store. It's a compelling tale, grippingly suspenseful as you wait to see what Henry and Allan will do next, yet disturbingly funny as you watch Allan delight in the most unpleasant things (just as long as they make Henry happy). Strong performances all around, and a neat debut for Schonau Fog!

Watched the world premier at the Toronto Film Festival.You are drawn into this dark movie and cannot turn away. The performances by Jannik Lorenzen, Jesper Asholt and Julie Kolbeck are spellbinding. The movie is shown from the point of view of 10 year old Allan (Jannik), giving a very unique perspective on this messed up family. Director Peter Schønau Fog really pulls this together.Jannik Lorenzen is an incredible actor. This was his debut film, and I think that he's is equal most other child actors today. I really hope to see him in more films.Jesper Asholt plays a challenging role, the evil and disturbed father, with incredible conviction.The cinematography and directing are first rate, this is not a low budget or low quality film.Apparently based on the life of the book author, which is pretty disturbing too.It's too bad this Danish movie (with English subtitles) will be unavailable to most North American's...