ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

maxwicen-348-369319 So this is a revenge flick basically. But instead of blood and gore, you'll get awkward scenes with the antagonist and the protagonists. It kind of feels like when people get in their mid 30s and 50s they completely forget how children think and act. And all bullying is because the children are malevolent and evil.This is one of those movies where it's not clear if the main character is really the hero, or if she is actually the villain. Using her newfound power -she now being a successful filmmaker. To take revenge on people that had unintentionally hurt her in the past.The movie is so incredibly passive aggressive it's just mind blowing. And the storytelling is so incredibly one sided - her perspective of all the events that were bad in her childhood. She has zero empathy for her classmates as an adult, which is probably why she had no friends as a child.But because this movie is about bullying, everyone must rate it super high. It deserves 3 stars out of 10, and that's for successful awkward scenes.

Shadowplayed Simple, almost documentary style of this film really adds up to realism, as if easily relatable story wasn't realistic enough. Painfully so, for those with similar experiences that had plagued their school years. And those who knew a guy that knew a guy alike...It's very 'dogmatic' in approach, as far as goals, psychological portrayal and cinematography goes.The opening tricks us into believing Anna's project was a real deal, and only later we get to learn the timeline of events. In fact, apart from the basic premise, whole world of characters opens up slowly, but the pace remains brisk and on point. The Reunion never wanders or drifts off, it stays focused on the protagonist, her project, estranged schoolmates and her adult life as famous artist.Universal theme of peer violence/bullying and very sharp insight into social hierarchy (especially apparent in its rawest during formative, school years) are nicely captured, however, for those hoping for typical filmsy 'revenge' scenario, this film might seem unsatisfying and anticlimactic. Because it was going for realism, and haven't lost the focus at any time.Lots of close-ups of the faces during interviews Anna was conducting for the project with her former classmates, lots of awkward dialogues and confrontations. What strikes me is how much people actually change while trying to fit in and fill the adult's shoes. So, instead of being honest and emotionally open - albeit insensitive or cruel while doing so....the former child now adult caters to mentality and cultural patterns fully, becomes hypocritical, polite and nice while basically still shunning and isolating the unpopular people and keeping them out of their inner circle just as before. In much more sophisticated and appropriate manner, cause they learned manners and became civilized adults with little to no recollection of their former selves. Bullying aside...in such highly civilized society such as this, one has a hard time picturing successful people with developed social skills and even temper, very PC - such as Anna's former classmates - as once primitive bunch who were relentlessly hellbent on humiliating and ostracizing their peer. Oh how much we learn!Not really, if only how to lie and mask our resentment and hostility better. Basically, how to act appropriately. But basic instincts, goals don't change that much. What does change is execution.But Anna's film and her 'revenge' unmasks the people and while exorcising her own demons she confronts the culprits subjecting them to long buried picture of themselves and their friends. That's not how they want to see themselves, that is not what they are now, not how they'd like to be remembered. Well, you can'd undo, but can try and fix the past mistakes, if you can face them. If you perceive them as wrongdoings at all. Sometimes I think...we never really leave high school, do we?

Niklas Pivic At a school reunion, a person starts speaking about how she was bullied throughout their nine years together. That's how this film starts; the plot obviously reminded me of Thomas Vinterberg's "The Celebration", but they differ, mainly because of two facts on the side of "The Reunion": a) it's supposedly based on facts that happened to the lead character/the director, Anna Odell, and b) it's cut into two parts. Odell treats this film as an art project, and as such, it loses some to her non-acting skills but wins a lot due to its quite non-sentimental views of what school gave and took away; by "school" I definitely mean the pupils, the teachers and the parents.The unorthodox build of the film and Odell's clumsiness works to the film's advantage. The real strength of the film is, I think, where it displays some ugly sides that most humans try to hide when the magnifying glass is upon them; bullies play down the blame, the guilt and responsibility, while the obvious victim is shunned, and history is repeated. All are responsible and no-one can say their "child self" is another part of some universe that is not touched by their current responsibility and mental state.Social structures, meeting your demons, fleeing your guilt, it's here.

stephanlinsenhoff Anna Odells first movie 'The Reunion' goes up today, 15 November 2013. In Sweden. Already she received two awards and more will follow. But she will have to pay for this controversially (the ambivalent reactions waiting around the corner) film: in focus her experience in school. Uninvited she comes (too late) to the party of reunion. The one who arranged welcomes everybody: "Great that so many have come. Cheers!" Anna interrupts: reminding them all what they did to her and with her. She was the Nobody and had to be. In every group is a container for the bad things: "A daily battle. Not revenge but to tell today what I could not tell yesterday. I was the one who was pushed, beaten, laughed at, not looked at and not seen." And it happens again: interrupted in her speech. The same for the No-body today. Chaos.She is by far not alone with this experience, called mobbing. Yesterday, today, Tmorrow. Many of us have to live with it, unable to defend us. Laughed at. Unseen. The object for shame. Not one of the crowd Not In- but Out-side, beside the group. Qietly suffering for what they are and never can be. How react? As Anna Odell? It took courage to come late and cross (not for the first time) the forbidden line everybody accepts and respects? Today not as art performance but the actor and director.The setup are two parts, the second as documentary. When she planned the idea, she asked her former class if they want to take 'their' part in this reality-movie. They denied. Of course. Actors took their place. How will the real people of her class from yesterday, today adults, react that actors took their part? To be in public forced to look into the mirror is everything but not easy. For Anna Odell it does not matter, what ever the reactions. The Nobody she is for them. She has nothing to loose. The movie reminds not only of the speech in the Danish Dogma 1 movie 'The Celebration', 1998, Thomas Vinterberg but also of Gina's speech in The Girl in the Café, 2005. Even them had nothing to loose, knowing what happens after their speech.Change? Nothing will change. For many this (in front) mirror can be a reminder of our society: in school and today at work. Change? Perhaps by small islands. Those small islands amidst of the daily battle, that Slavoj Zizek describes as 'spaces'. Not left-right, black-white but by the unrecognized and unseen 'Between' as possibility: our responsibility. ............... ...............................Return 2014-10-11 Som years have passed. At that time I hired the movie, keen to see it as it washighlighted by many and in the media. Now I bought the DVD to see itnot in a haste. I even re saw again Thomas Vinterbergs 'TheCelebration'. I still believe that this movie is so much better, sorough and true as Anna Odells, she must have seen it, bleak copy. Shewanted and pulled back. BUT: the reason why i return: she should have had the courage to go beyond. More. Out to infinity and return on the other side. THEN most of us should have be happy. More. With this action she could have handled a for us important issue different. Objectivly "and" personally. She asked her former class to take their part. They refused. Actors took their part. I wondered if some of them made a police issue of it as they all where drawn into the light. But it did not happen. Why? Answer 1. They where afraid that more by a trial should surface Answer 2. They did not care