Review of I Am Dina

I Am Dina (2002)
5/10
Beautiful landscapes, but not much else...
7 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I decided to watch this film for two reasons: 1. I love Hans Matheson, and since his body of work is quite small, I thought I'd give this one a try. 2. There were a lot of positive reviews on IMDb.

Having spent two hours watching the movie, I'm a little shocked that the reviews are so positive! The film follows the life of Dina, a woman scarred for life after she accidentally kills her own mother. The film, which has no real plot, follows Dina through her life as she learns to appreciate music, has a whole lot of sex, disregards all other people, and is haunted by the ghosts of the various people she manages to kill.

The landscapes and cinematography are breath-taking, but that's where my love of the film comes to an end. No, I take that back. The various states of nudity are good too. Who knew I would be watching soft-core costume drama porn? Excellent. Really, though-the acting is overblown in its drama (watch for Niels practically dancing with a side of beef and Dina choking Lorch when he tries to leave). Dina is supposed to be someone for whom you feel sympathy because she's had a rough life, but in the end, I thought she was weird and scary and obsessive and not all that likable. I was pretty happy that Tomas found a nice normal girl to love at the end.

If you enjoy rambling dramas that have no clear plot-where the protagonist learns nothing about herself and the other characters are all waiting around to die, then you'll love this. If you're curious as to what Norway looks like-well, fast forward to the scenes that showcase it. It is pretty impressive. I'd love to visit sometime in the summer. But otherwise, skip this film. It isn't good.
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