The Home Front

The grass is greener than green, the flowers in the backyards are bright and blooming, and the many fences have a fresh coat of paint. These are the private paradises in which the Danes in live. But wait a minute - is that a dog barking? Is that gardener peeking over the fence, and are the branches he's trimming falling on the right side? The smallest trifle in the world can send neighbors who once merrily drank beer together into arguments that last years. But when the distrust is so thick you can cut it with a knife, there's still hope. In order to help the desperate parties, the Danish government came up with the Fence Committee, an institution that mediates and makes binding decisions when necessary. We follow peacemaker Mogens Peulicke in his attempts to bring an end to four neighborhood arguments. He has varying levels of success, even if those involved sometimes see the ridiculousness of the situation. One person observes that the richer people are, the more they complain. Title cards provide information on Danish fence and hedge culture and the necessary intervention of the Fence Committee, while the bright images, elegant lettering and cheerful music offer an ironic framework to these mini-tragicomedies. Director Phie Ambo has had several films at IDFA, including , which won the Joris Ivens Award in 2001.