The Absent One (2014 film)
The Absent One (Danish: Fasandræberne), also known as Department Q: The Absent One, is a 2014 Danish crime mystery film directed by Mikkel Nørgaard and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg, based on Jussi Adler-Olsen's novel of the same name. It is the second film in the Department Q series following the 2013 film The Keeper of Lost Causes, and preceding the 2016 film A Conspiracy of Faith.
The Absent One | |
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Fasandræberne | |
Directed by | Mikkel Nørgaard |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Eric Kress |
Edited by |
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Running time | 120 minutes[1] |
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Budget | €5.2 million |
Plot
The story centers around the murder of twins in 1994, one of whom was also raped. At first unwilling to get involved in the case, Mørck changes his mind after their father commits suicide after approaching him one night and leaving behind a box of material on the case he has been collecting for years. Dept Q's investigation leads away from the young man originally convicted, towards a group of students from a nearby boarding school who became pillars of the Danish establishment. The existence of department Q is threatened by the success of other departments.
Cast
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Carl Mørck
- Fares Fares as Assad
- Pilou Asbæk as Ditlev Pram
- Marco Ilsø as young Ditlev
- David Dencik as Ulrik Dybbøl
- Philip Stilling as young Ulrik
- Danica Curcic as Kirsten Marie Larsen ("Kimmie")
- Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as young Kimmie
- Johanne Louise Schmidt as Rose
- Beate Bille as Thelma
- Peter Christoffersen as Alberg
- Søren Pilmark as Marcus Jacobsen
- Michael Brostrup as Børge Bak
- Morten Kirkskov as Lars Bjørn
- Kristian Høgh Jeppesen as Bjarne Thøgersen
- Adam Ild Rohweder as young Bjarne
Release
When it was released in Oct 2014 it was Denmark's highest-grossing opening week for a local film ever.[2]
Fares Fares who plays Assad received the Robert Award (called the "Danish Oscar") for his performance as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The film also received the Audience Award.
Reception
Critical response
The Absent One holds a 92% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews.
References
- "The Absent One (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- Keslassy, Elsa (6 October 2014). "'The Absent One' Breaks Danish B.O. Records".