While there has been much talk about the Academy Awards and how particular people had been criminally overlooked, over here at Nordic Watchlist we held our heads in our hands at some of the phenomenal films and performances that had come from the Nordic region which too had been overlooked. However, there was one shining light. A nomination for Lasse Lyskjær Noer‘s Danish short film ‘Knight of Fortune‘.
Nordic Watchlist caught up with the director himself, and his producer Christian Norlyk, to discuss the film over a video call from Copenhagen.
Nordic Watchlist: Is there a lot of weight you are feeling on your shoulders being the only Nordic nomination at the Academy Awards?
Christian Norlyk: Oh we are definitely feeling it here back at home – all the media attention diverted to us after the news of the nomination. We were a bit like deer in the headlights as we hadn’t really expected it.
Nordic Watchlist: You think about films such as Godland, The Promised Land, and documentary Apolonia Apolonia missing out which suggests how strong the competition really is out there.
Christian Norlyk: It would have been nice to have some other company on our table from these amazing films!
Lasse Lyskjær Noer: I just love the fact that we let the film do the work and crossed our fingers. There was a new voting system this year and we thought that might not work for us but we got selected and we are just so happy about this and obviously we would have waned to have our Danish colleagues with us for sure.
Nordic Watchlist: So where did this film’s journey begin for you?
Lasse Lyskjær Noer: It started for me when I lost some people close to me and I went to the morgue which I discovered was not a very pleasant place. Its cold, very sterile, and the only love comes from the people around you like your family and friends. I remember thinking to myself, I am so lucky to have this but what if I didn’t have that? What if I had to there by myself?
And so Knight of Fortune was born – a short film that centres around a man who has to do exactly that.
Lasse Lyskjær Noer: There is a lot of anxiety through loss which is something very close to me – I have always been afraid of losing people close to me and this is portrayed in this film. This idea of confronting the fact that you have lost the most important person in your life.
Lasse goes on to explain how there was a lot of research and interviews with elderly men who had lost their partner, including his grandfather.
Lasse Lyskjær Noer: My grandfather, he inspired the main character a little bit because he is a very practical person who loves fixing things and not asking for any help – so if there is a broken lamp he is going to fix it.
Christian Norlyk: We also talked a lot about the way it is done here in Denmark, being in the morgue with the family and saying your final goodbyes. It is very much a big thing when you first experience it.
During the shoot Christian lost his grandfather and he suddenly found himself going from a fake morgue they were using for the film, to the a real one.
Christian Norlyk: We shot the film in seven days and on day four my grandfather passed away. It became this cathartic experience for me because I saw that what we were actually filming was so true to the real experience.
The film has this incredible skill of managing to tug on your heart strings whilst almost tickling your funny bone – with moments of outrageous comedy scenarios followed by a stab to the heart.
Nordic Watchlist: Was there ever a sense of danger of making this too humorous yet equally making it too sad? Was there a challenge in keeping that fine line intact?
Lasse Lyskjær Noer: It was definitely a challenge – there was so much potential to have more fun with this but it was important for us to keep the seriousness of it. How we managed to keep that fine balance is hard to define though; we felt it when we were watching it post shooting.
The director goes on to talk about how whilst filming there was no laughing on set yet watching the film itself there are some classic moments that catch you out – people doing unexpected things. There are no jokes or punchlines, just us watching how people react to the grief they are enduring – especially when literally face to face with it. One particular scene involves a lamp and it is this moment where you as an audience are allowed to laugh. This is a melancholic story that will allow you to laugh as much as you might like to cry.
Knight of Fortune has not been released yet for the public to watch but as soon as we get any news of its release we will let you know. The Academy Awards are hosted on the 10th March – make sure you are waving your Danish flag for all the team behind this wonderful short film.
