Kundskabens træ (1981)

 

Kundskabens Træ

When I was looking for a Danish addition to the 1981 group of movies, I immediately thought of “Kundskabens træ” and went ahead to acquire it, only to shortly after realize that this movie is actually included on the Danish edition of the List. There are not that many local additions to the Danish List and sometimes they are not even Danish, but “Kundskabens træ” is one of those special movies most people my age will know or know of. It made quite an impact and was watched by one million people in the cinema, which amounts to 20% of the country’s population.

“Kundskabens træ” (literally The Tree of Knowledge, referencing Genesis) is a movie by Nils Malmros about a school class of children from 1958 to 1960. During that period the children grow from around 13 to 15 years old and we therefore follow them into early puberty with all the awkwardness and confusion that entails. While the camera does follow all the children and exposes a lot of the dynamics between them, we particularly follow Elin (Eva Gram Schjoldager). Elin is to begin with a full member of the social circles, but, maturing earlier than the other girls, she gets frozen out. She gets popular with the boys, but when Helge (Martin Lysholm Jepsen) attempts to take it to the next level, Elin turns him down. She is not ready. A feeling largely driven by Elin’s unfeeling parents. Helge, his pride hurt, starts telling stories about her and combined with the envy of the other girls, she soon find herself very much alone. There is very little Elin can do, there is support from nowhere, least of all her parents and she passes from one humiliation to the next.

There is no happy ending to the core story, it really is very depressing and while there is a lot of comedy in the general portrait of the children and their awkwardness, it is always colored by the sad feeling of being outside, such as when Elin, pressured by her mother to host a party, gets told on the phone that they cannot come after all because they had forgotten there was to be a party at another girl’s home. Or when her former friends form groups in class to keep her out. Elin internalizes it all until the end where it boils over, but we feel that pain all the way.

Although this is a movie that takes place in the late fifties, it is all very familiar. Most people will recognize these scenes from their early youth, and I suppose most people will find somebody to relate to in the movie. I think they were a bit earlier out with the dancing and kissing than I remember from my youth, but the dynamics is certainly very recognizable. It is also very particular for “Kundskabens Træ”, and Nils Malmros’ movies in general, that it takes place in Århus in Jylland. From those not familiar with Danish Geography, Århus is the second largest city in the country and very much represents the province. All the actors, particularly the children, have this very distinct Århus accent and quite a bit of the mannerism is different from what you would see in Copenhagen. I took my masters in Århus and spent six years there and when the class goes on a school trip is to Rold Skov, 15 km from where I grew up. This is very much my home turf. If anything, it made me feel even more at home with these children.

Movies that depend on child actors are always problematic. Children are not professional actors, and their acting is often too much or too little, but this is never the case in “Kundskabens træ”. If this movie stands out for something special, it is how natural it all looks. I never got that feeling that they are acting, but bought into the story 100%. That is an achievement.

Nils Malmros was compared to Truffaut, with reference to his “The 400 Blows” and there are a lot of comparisons, but “Kundskabens Træ” is also uniquely Danish, and Malmros managed to tap into this in an uncannily recognizable way, and you cannot watch this without feeling a bit guilty yourself for the Elins you do not help in your childhood. If you were not an Elin yourself.

“Kundskabens Træ” is one of the best movies ever produced in Denmark and is well worth the watch. It did get international recognition and I think an international audience will also get a lot out of it. Highly recommended.