Guldkysten

This bold contribution to the historical film genre is set in the 1830s at a time when the slave trade was still booming in the African colonies, even though the system had been outlawed by then in Denmark. Wulff, 28, leaves Copenhagen and sets out for Danish Guinea, at that time known as the Gold Coast, in order to set up a coffee plantation with the help of the native inhabitants. However, not everything goes according to plan. Repeated attacks by indigenous tribes force Wulff to seek help from a local trader named Richter. He thus unwittingly gets swept along in a maelstrom of events which lead him to unravel a festering conspiracy behind the façade of the Danish fortress. This story of an essentially anti-colonialist idealist casts light on a dark chapter of European history. The photography, skilful editing and the hypnotic music crafted for the film by Angelo Badalamenti are rendered into tools which the Danish director employs to build up a specific, dreamlike atmosphere. The result is a cinematic trip that partakes in equal measure of lyric poetry and a horrifying nightmare. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)