Reconstruction

This Cannes Film Festival prizewinner, the debut feature of young Danish filmmaker Christoffer Boe, is an engrossing romantic drama that tiptoes up to the line of pretentiousness but--fortunately--never quite crosses it. Reconstruction makes use of a familiar infidelity plot: photographer Alex (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), while riding a Copenhagen subway with his girlfriend Simone (Maria Bonnevie), spots a beautiful woman and becomes instantly entranced. When she exits the train, he follows her and the pair eventually end up in a hotel room. It turns out that the woman has a husband (Krister Henriksson) who quickly realizes that he's been cuckolded, and the impulsive lovers now find themselves ostracized in a city that seems alien. Rather than devolving into predictable drama, however, the narrative shifts into a surreal, dreamlike viewing experience, in which Alex not only appears to be lost in time, but also becomes disturbed when acquaintances don't recognize him. Is he being punished for his transgression, or has he suddenly entered a parallel universe? It's hard to tell. The director also takes a chance by having the stunningly beautiful Bonnevie play both female parts, and she skillfully creates separate personas for the cheating wife and the victimized girlfriend. While these arty elements come perilously close to undermining the film, Reconstruction is successful overall, and lingers in the memory long after the end credits have rolled. (E. Hulse)