Keswick Film Club - Reviews - Rose

The new season of Keswick Film Club started last Sunday with the Danish drama 'Rose', about Ellen and her husband Vagn taking her sister Inger on a coach trip to Paris. This might have been an ordinary occurrence if Inger had not been suffering from schizophrenia; she lives in a home and lives a very sheltered life, protected by her mother. Ellen and Vagn are trying their best to give her a chance at freedom, and to revisit her old life where a lost love started her mental problems.

The journey starts off badly with a fellow traveller, Andreas, being very uncomfortable with Inger, getting more and more abusive and leaving her wanting to go home. Once in Paris, however, Inger shows her worth when it turns out she can speak French fluently; buying a round for the whole coach leaves Andreas isolated as the only one not liking her. His son, Christian, is especially close to her, and ends up helping her find the lost lover.

The film has some comic moments (which upset a few people) and some very moving ones: overall the audience really liked it. It brought out well the problems of a schizophrenic and, especially, the problems we have understanding them. She could be rude and direct, but we grew to understand more about what she might be really thinking in her head.