Swinger (2016) Reviews

• Awkward Comedy about Couples in Crisis

  werwolf_dk2016-10-10

  The first feature film by director Mikkel Munch-Fals had in Danish the title "Beautiful People". This one could have the title "Boring People". A bunch of middle-aged couples who have nothing but memories of not realized dreams pretend to escape from their daily routines by taking refuge in a swinger club. Here they think they are stripped from conventions. However, even their hanky-panky follows predefined rules which tell them when and where to feel liberated. One weekend a young couple arrives and thus the usual rules of the play are challenged. This challenge can prompt different reactions. One of the men thinks he needs to show off as stallion, another one believes that he has fallen in love and starts dreaming immediately about undigging his buried youthful dreams. (The script is mainly interested in the sexuality of the male protagonists. The women are shaggable garnish, maybe also part-time lesbians.) This could lead to tragic, dramatic, comic or even ironic situation. The script focuses almost exclusively on embarrassing aspects. There is a tendency in Danish cinema, especially when it is intended for the home market, to understand the vulgar as border-crossing. Especially the Klown series is notorious in exploring how disgusting they can be and still be loved by the audience. Munch-Fals follows this track. This is intended as funny. Yes, this film was labeled as comedy, but when I saw it, nobody in the audience laughed even once. There are some good performances in this film, but even they cannot make this film and its cliché-stuffed script memorable.

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