Benjamin, the Dove 1995

Benjamin, the Dove 1995
Benjamín dúfa (original title)
1h 28m | Drama, Family | 9 November 1995 (Iceland)

Storyline:

Benjamin dufa is movie about four friends. They love knights and dream to be knights when they grow up. The friends get in trouble with bullies and one of them (Baldur) gets in serious trouble with the bullies and something really sad happens to him.

User review:

Northern Europe cinematography gives special attention to children, either as audience or as characters in the movies. From Astrid Lindgren’s stories usually made for preschool or younger school age (Pippi, Bullerbyn, Madita) and mostly Danish movies about and for children age 9 or 10 (Tøsepiger, Flyvende farmor, Gummi Tarzan) to movies about teens that have nothing in common with American teen movies (Saning eller konsekvens, Zappa, Sofies verden, Aldri mer 13), and many real family movies for all ages (Ronja, Tinke) or stories that are made mostly for adult audience but with children or teenagers as one of main or leading roles (Tyven Tyven, All Things Fair, Mitt liv som hund), the list is countless and we can be almost certain that either we or our children, or most probably all of us, will have at least good time watching them.

These movies have their plot put in a definite period of time, mostly only one or few days, with stories in a straight line. Benjamin dúfa (dove), coming from Iceland, is an exception with construction looking more like some American movies: it is a puzzle of memories narrated by one of the characters who is remembering his childhood when he returns to the place where he grew up (like Now And Then). A group of boys (again looking like American groups in similar movies, like Stand By Me) and their one particular summer when a few events happened that marked their whole lives…

Apart of that, Benjamin is European movie, but more like those made in middle Europe. It may be even an Icelandic version of Hungarian novel A Pál utcai fiúk, aka The Boys of Paul Street (an obligatory reading for many European school kids and twice adapted to movies – great ’69 version), the same way as Westside Story is American Version of Romeo And Juliet. You have a group of 10-12 y.o. boys, very realistic characters none of them being a real hero, expressing different positive and negative emotions and characteristics, having their own special playing-hiding place (where they should not be allowed to come, but – even that is similar to Molnár’s novel – it’s a storage keeper who permits it) and finally have to fight against enemy group with a tragic end.

Betrayal and loyalty, friendship and bullying, encouraging and neglecting, violence and reconciliation. Too much for one movie? It could sound like a morality and homily teaching kids how to behave good… and, maybe, in the second (middle) part it comes close to that, with a too optimistic and idealistic story about helping one person and everybody participating in this action; but watching the movie you don’t have that homily feeling – Benjamin Dúfa in fact isn’t a children movie at all, it is more a movie about the children that can be watched by everyone – including children

Director: Gísli Snær Erlingsson
Writer: Friðrik Erlingsson
Stars: Sturla Sighvatsson, Gunnar Cauthery, Sigfús Sturluson
Countries of origin: Iceland, Sweden, Germany
Language: Icelandic
Also known as: Benjamin Duva