Teddy Bear (2012 film)

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Teddy Bear
Film poster
Directed byMads Matthiesen
Screenplay by
Produced byMorten Kjems Juhl
Starring
CinematographyLaust Trier Mørk
Edited byAdam Nielsen
Music bySune Martin
Production
companies
  • SF Film
  • Beofilm
  • Tonemestrene Studio
  • Minerva Film
Distributed bySF Studios Danmark
Release dates
  • 22 January 2012 (2012-01-22) (Sundance)
  • 26 January 2012 (2012-01-26) (Denmark)
Running time
93 minutes[1]
CountryDenmark
Languages
  • Danish
  • English
  • Thai

Teddy Bear (

bodybuilder who, after failing to find love in Denmark, sets off for Thailand to escape from his overbearing mother and search for a bride.[1]

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2012, where Matthiesen won the World Cinema Directing Award (Dramatic).[2] It was theatrically released in Denmark on 26 January 2012, by SF Studios. At the 30th Robert Awards, it earned two nominations: Best Danish Film and the Audience Award. Matthiesen was also nominated for the European Discovery at the 25th European Film Awards.

Plot

Despite his physique, Dennis (Kim Kold), a thirty-eight-year-old Danish bodybuilder, has never had a girlfriend and lives with his elderly mother, Ingrid (Elsebeth Steentoft), in a small town outside Copenhagen. On arriving home from a date gone south, Dennis undergoes his mother's interrogation on his whereabouts. He fabricates a story about going to the movies which hints at a possessiveness on her part that makes it difficult for him to form relationships. Things appear even more bleak when his uncle, Bent (Allan Mogensen), marries a younger woman from Thailand, making Dennis feel even more hopeless about his situation.

Believing that his nephew's chances for a relationship will improve outside the country, Bent arranges for Dennis to fly to Thailand. He leaves, telling a disgruntled Ingrid that he is going to Germany to compete in a bodybuilding competition. Though the culture shock is initially daunting, Dennis feels more comfortable after meeting Scott (David Winters), a middle-aged American man who introduced Bent to his wife. Scott plays matchmaker by offering to arrange a blind date for Dennis, a prospect that bolsters his confidence. That night, however, Dennis feels uneasy when it becomes apparent that the bar in which the meeting is to take place is frequented by older gentleman seeking pleasure from the women in Scott's employ (who turn out to be prostitutes). Despite reservations, Dennis takes one of them back to his hotel room, but the cheapness and aseptic nature of the scenario make him hesitant and he rejects her advances.

The next morning, Dennis attends a local gym where Prap (Prap Poramabhuti) and Bobby (Bobby Murcer), two of the patrons, recognize him from his bodybuilding career. While discussing his passion, Dennis's shyness and social ineptitude vanish and Prap introduces him to Toi (Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard), a local woman who owns the gym. Though having more in common with this crowd, Dennis goes back for a second round at the bar, but leaves within minutes of meeting another prostitute. Following up on an invitation from Prap, he joins him and his friends for dinner where a conversation with Toi sparks an attraction. A day of fun and sight-seeing builds up to an evening visit to Toi's apartment, where the two kiss passionately, but Dennis's shyness resurfaces and he abruptly leaves. Realizing, however, that Toi is the only woman with whom he has ever felt a connection, he returns and, in a poignant scene, the two embrace and fall asleep in each other's arms without having sexual relations.

With plans for the future, Dennis goes back to Denmark. Unable to lie anymore, he eventually divulges everything to Ingrid, who accuses him of being a sex tourist and forbids him from seeing Toi again. He agrees, but then secretly arranges for Toi to come to Denmark permanently. He avoids introducing Toi to Ingrid and tells her that the time he spends with his mother is due to her convalescing from a heart condition and not because he lives with her. Ultimately, the charade falls apart when Dennis and Toi happen to cross paths with Ingrid at a shopping mall. Intent on quelling Ingrid's anger, Dennis comes home and finds her sitting at the table with an injured hand. He goes to his room, finds its contents destroyed, and cries silently. In the aftermath, it is revealed that Ingrid's insecurities stem from Dennis's father having left her before he was born. Her attempts to play the victim, however, fall short to Dennis's passive resolution to become independent. He packs his belongings and kisses her goodbye. The last scene shows him getting into the car with Toi and exchanging loving looks while driving to their new home.

Cast

  • Kim Kold as Dennis
  • Elsebeth Steentoft as Ingrid
  • Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard as Toi
  • David Winters as Scott
  • Allan Mogensen as Bent
  • Sukunya Mongkol as Phat
  • Barbara Zatler as Sasha
  • Prap Poramabhuti as Prap
  • Sukianya Suwan as Aoi
  • John Winters as Jeff (as Jonathan Winters)
  • Paweena Im-Erb as Nok
  • Songporn Na Bangchang as Nuu
  • Patrick Johnson as Lars

Production

Teddy Bear was Matthiesen's first feature-length film; it was inspired by his 2007 short film Dennis, which also starred Kold, and was also co-written with Zandvliet. Director Frank Corsaro, after seeing the short film, encouraged Matthiesen to turn it into a full-length film.[3] Matthiesen decided to cast mostly non-actors in the film, in order to give the film as realistic a tone as possible. Kold himself had been a non-actor when Matthiesen cast him in Dennis, although since then he appeared in other films and television shows.[3]

Release

Teddy Bear premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the 28th Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2012.[4][5][6][7] It was released in Denmark on 26 January 2012.[8] Film Movement acquired North American distribution rights to the film, and gave it a limited release in the United States on 22 August 2012.[9]

Reception

Critical response

On the

weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote, "It's only to say that the movie's no-frills realism derives from common aesthetic strategies like hand-held cinematography and nonprofessional acting." Dargis also opined, "Although there are times when this world of tight smiles, monstrous maternity and hovering camerawork can feel too familiar, Mr. Matthiesen has a way of consistently and gently upending expectations, sometimes with humor."[12] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "Teddy Bear is not the most substantial film, but it has a restrained charm and an emotional payoff in keeping with its prevailing understatement."[13] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a B+ rating and commented, "Teddy Bear has a unique strategy for rejuvenating the formula."[14] Dennis Harvey of Variety noted, "The low-key drama is well crafted and likable as far as it goes, but there's not enough narrative impetus or depth to maintain more than passing viewer interest." Harvey also remarked, "Kold is an imposing physical presence — literally heightened by the casting of much shorter actors opposite him — albeit not yet an actor expressive enough to fill the script's hazy psychological gaps by himself."[15]

Awards

Matthiesen won the directing award in the category "World Cinema - Dramatic" for Teddy Bear at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.[16] The film was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the same category, at the Sundance Festival.

References

  1. ^ a b "Teddy Bear". Visit Films. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  2. ^ "2012 Sundance Film Festival Announces Awards". Sundance Institute. 29 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b FIVE QUESTIONS WITH “TEDDY BEAR” DIRECTOR MADS MATTHIESEN, Kevin Canfield, Filmmaker Magazine, August 21, 2012
  4. ^ Chang, Justin (30 November 2011). "Sundance unveils dramatic, doc competition slate". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  5. ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (30 November 2011). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2012 Competition Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  6. ^ Barnes, Brooks (30 November 2011). "Eclectic as Ever, Sundance Unveils Competition Lineup". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Meet the 2012 Sundance Filmmakers #15: Mads Matthiesen's "Teddy Bear"". IndieWire. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Teddy Bear". Danish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Teddy Bear". Film Movement. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Teddy Bear". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  11. Fandom, Inc. Archived
    from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ^ Dargis, Manohla (21 August 2012). "Gentle Giant Seeks the Strength to Body Check His Mother". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  13. ^ Rooney, David (27 January 2012). "Teddy Bear: Sundance Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  14. ^ Kohn, Eric (22 January 2012). "'Teddy Bear' Is a Conventional Romance Elevated By Its Muscular Hero". IndieWire. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  15. ^ Harvey, Dennis (24 January 2012). "Teddy Bear". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  16. ^ Justin Lowe (11 August 2016). "'The Model': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 January 2017.

External links