Prag (Prague in english) is a 2006 award winning danish Film written and directed by Ole Christian Madsen. A slowly crumbling relationship begins to collapse while a man performs an unpleasant family errand in this drama. Christoffer (Mads Mikkelsen) and Maja (Stine Stengade) have been married for nearly 15 years, but while on the surface they seem cordial, they’ve been slowly drifting apart for some time and their acrimony is beginning to rise to the surface. When we take elements out of context, we could make an infinite number of stories out them. Tragedy, comedy, romance. When we look at a relationship, we maybe select the details that fit a particular keyhole view. Movies generally simplify even further. To Ole Christian Madsen’s credit, he at least tries to remind us that reality is rarely as simple. Prag has a more ‘European’ feel than much of Danish cinema. It lingers on detail, encourages the viewer to consider subtleties. Intellectually, it touches on areas of breakdowns in communication, but it does so with a gentle warmth and hope in the face of adversity. For all its sadness of theme, Prag is a strangely beautiful and moving film.
