Lykke-Per

At the close of the 19th century Peter Sidenius, son of a priest, typical parvenu and ill-mannered provincial upstart moves to Copenhagen for his university studies. There he unexpectedly and quickly captures the interest of the Salomons, the rich Jewish family, with his personality and futuristic visionary projects (including tidal electric power plants and windmills). Peter’s new adult and seemingly successful life is, in fact, full of struggle.

Director Bille August is a two-time winner of the Palme d'Or, the highest prize of the Cannes Film Festival - an honour that has been received by nine directors only. For almost thirty years August has held the status of the classic of filmmaking, so it’s no wonder he chooses respectable original sources for his scripts: Lucky Per is one of the fundamental works of the Danish literature written by Nobel Prize-winning author Henrik Pontoppidan. Pontoppidan’s work is dedicated to the idea that no matter how hard we try, we always carry our childhood complexes with us, and no matter where the son of a despotic priest moves, he will spend his entire life having a virtual conversation with his tyrannical parent. The same timeless motifs are explored in August’s vivid screen adaptation.

Awards & Festivals: