John og Mia (2002) User Reviews

Sad, gut-wrenching and insightful--this one may depress you, but it's got a lot to say.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 13 July 2008]

This is one of the more low-key and somber shorts I have ever seen. While fortunately not the most depressing mood I have seen in a short (that "honor" would go to Síðasti bærinn--so depressing it might induce suicide!), it is something you should think about before you watch it. If you are feeling rather blue yourself, it's probably best to watch this some other time--but do watch it, it's an exceptional short film.

The film begins with a middle-aged trucker stopping at a convenience store to buy a few odds and ends--and a porno video. When he gets home, he puts the video in and watches--and sees that his own estranged daughter is the star of this film!! The man is naturally very, very shaken and this one incident radically changes the man--and sets him on a quest to make things right with this daughter.

Sadly, it's hard to describe this film without divulging the twist in the film, though there still is a lot more to it. What I particularly admired about this film is how it humanized pornography---in practically every case, the stars are SOMEONE'S daughters or sons. Insightful, well written and paced--this one deserves to be seen. And, if you get a copy of "Shorts!: Vol. 1", you can see it for yourself.

Dark estrangement

[pbn · 4/10 · 14 July 2004]

"John og Mia" is a 25-minute short from Danish director Christian Dyekjær. It is based on the good idea of a middle-aged man discovering his own daughter as the star of one of the adult movies he rents at the local gas station to comfort him in his not too stimulating life as a widowed truck driver.

The idea is good because it is surprising and because it begs action of the man and confrontation not only with his daughter, but with the detachment they have suffered. Without saying too much, the ending seems to say that estrangement within family can only ever be shallow - father and daughter share more than puts them apart.

Style is something different entirely. With its video pictures and dark lighting in anonymous settings this film offers a mood and a pace of its own, but fails to tell the story with anything except the most necessary ability. There are a few unnecessary scenes, and the entertainment level is not high. Dick Kaysø plays the father and more or less blends in with the interiors while Mira Wanting is the daughter who does well in those scenes that underline her sensibility as a woman and a daughter, especially the final scene. Actor and singer Niels Skousen is seen in a small role.

Very good!

[filmfreak-5 · 3 April 2004]

I liked this short film!

It is a quite thought provoking thing; how would you react if you suddently saw your daughter in a x-rated film?

Christian Dyekjær has commited a very nice little film that sadly has been a bit underrated, cause it is definately a little masterpiece of it's own, and it surely does not make it worse that Mira Wanting, who plays John's daughter Mia, is a nice little dish who can lighten up any movie. But this is good, I defintately recommend it, without wanting to spoint too much of the story. The end however is a little up to the viewer to decide, but I'm pretty sure that is the directors intention aswell.

7/10