by Linda Kay
English Title: Neighbors
Directed by: Bent Christensen
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Two feuding neighbors, the Gormsens (Ebbe Rode and Hanne Borchsenius) and the Sandelunds (John Price and Grethe Sønck) take their battles to such extremes that no one will come out unscathed in this Danish comedic political allegory.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The Gormsens son, Ludvig (Peter Steen), hangs out with his buddy Freddy (Jesper Langberg). They are watching the ferry pull in when Freddy spots an adorable girl with a tabby cat on a leash sitting upon her shoulder coming off the boat. He is immediately smitten. “And a tiger in the tank!” he adds.
The free-spirited girl’s name is Rikke (Tine Schmedes) but the cat’s name is not given. The boys immediately start to woo her but she boards a bus and says they must find her.
They must locate her pretty quickly because she accompanies them to the Gormsen home where Ludvig’s dad is caught outside firing his shotgun at the Sandelunds’ dog.
The young adults go upstairs to share beers and look at some of Ludvig’s inventions.
Later the three, now joined by the Sandelunds’ niece Nille (Elsebeth Reingaard), who is paired with Ludvig, walk to town to go to a club. Rikke dances to the music Freddy makes on his harmonica with the cat very patiently hanging on to her shoulder.
The cat is not present inside the club but is with Rikke again as the youngsters explore an old boat.
Finally Freddy, Rikke and the cat are on hand to watch the ferry pull away with Nille and Ludvig on board.
Cats are mentioned and even heard a couple of times but no other cats are actually seen in the film.
Final Mewsings: Danish cats are apparently very laid-back creatures!
Relevant Links:
To discuss this film and other cats in movies and on television, join us on Facebook and Twitter.