10 Best Thomas Vinterberg Movies, Ranked According to IMDb

Thomas Vinterberg is a talented Danish director who excels at realistic drama and the blackest of black comedy. He started as a student of provocateur Lars von Trier, with whom he co-founded Dogme 95, a film movement emphasizing a raw and authentic style. Dogme 95 disdains special effects or elaborate cinematography, instead putting a premium on believable characters. It was conceived as a means of returning to the fundamentals of cinema.

Many of Vinterberg’s best movies fit within this style, but as he has grown as a filmmaker, he has also gone beyond it; for instance, in recent years, he has tried his hand at period dramas. Regardless of the setting, Vinterberg’s projects are united by a willingness to engage with even the most difficult subject matter, particularly abuse and addiction. His stories can get incredibly bleak, but he usually balances it out with humor: few directors are as good at combining farce and tragedy. These are the finest of Vinterberg’s movies, as ranked by the users of IMDb.

10 ‘A Man Comes Home’ (2007)

IMDb: 5.6/10

This comedy-drama centers on Sebastian (Oliver Møller-Knaue), a young man who works in a kitchen. He has a terrible stutter, which he developed as a child after he was told that his dad had committed suicide. Sebastian is in a serious relationship, but things get complicated after Maria (Ronja Mannov Olesen), a former sweetheart, starts working at the same place. At the same time, his life is upended by rumors concerning the opera singer Karl Kristian (Thomas Bo Larsen), who comes to town for a visit. Some claim that Kristian is Sebastian’s father.

When a Man Comes Home is not one of Vinterberg’s masterpieces, but it’s still a decent comedy that unfolds at a breezy pace. The tone shifts back and forth between lighthearted and brutal, exploring family dynamics and workplace hierarchies with a sharp eye. All this is complemented by ever-moving handheld cinematography, one of the hallmarks of Dogme 95.

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9 ‘The Commune’ (2016)

IMDb: 6.4/10

Set in 1970s Copenhagen, The Commune revolves around a middle-aged couple, Erik (Ulrich Thomsen) and Anna (Trine Dyrholm), who decide to experiment with communal living after Erik inherits his massive childhood home. In an effort to enliven their dull routines (and help pay the bills), they gather a diverse group of friends and acquaintances to share the house. However, the arrangement quickly poses all kinds of challenges.

The commune starts fun and easy, but soon, there is bickering, disagreements about chores, and fights about authority. Keeping the commune running requires endless organization, and the residents begin voting on every issue. (At one point, a character says, “Okay, let’s vote on whether to vote.”) What begins as a liberating free-for-all eventually descends into factionalism, dysfunction, and conformity. This reads like a political commentary, looking at the difficult realities of implementing utopian social structures. The Commune is sharp and quite funny, although its thought-provoking observations are perhaps the film’s highest assets.

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8 ‘Dear Wendy’ (2005)

IMDb: 6.5/10

Lars von Trier wrote the script for this odd pseudo-Western. It focuses on Dick (Jamie Bell), a young pacifist who purchases what he believes to be a toy gun, which turns out to be real. He and his friends become obsessed with firearms, which they name and give backstories to (Dick names his Wendy). Dick even seems to develop a psych connection with his gun, turning him into a deadly accurate shot. Dick and his pals vow never to actually shoot anybody, but this rule is put to the test after an altercation with a deputy sheriff.

Dear Wendy seems to be Vinterberg’s commentary on America, especially issues of racism and gun violence. Unfortunately, the themes overpower the narrative at times, making the film feel more like a lecture than an engrossing story. Nevertheless, it deserves some props for its bold weirdness and willingness to experiment. Fans of von Trier will probably get a kick out of it.

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7 ‘The Biggest Heroes’ (1996)

IMDb: 6.6/10

This memorable road movie was Vinterberg’s debut feature. It’s about a bank robber named Karsten (Thomas Bo Larsen) who is out on probation but is meant to be heading back to prison soon. To his shock, Karsten’s ex Lisbeth (Paprika Steen) turns up, declaring that they have a twelve-year-old daughter named Louise (Mia Maria Back). Karsten and his partner-in-crime flee to Sweden with Louise in tow, but her abusive stepfather Allan (Bjarne Henriksen) pursues them.

The Biggest Heroes is lean and economical, clocking in at just 90 minutes long. It’s a little rough around the edges, but that’s also its charm. You can see that Vinterberg was trying to make this a grand statement on family and rebellion, but his directing chops weren’t quite yet up to the task. While not essentially viewing, The Biggest Heroes does make for an interesting snapshot of Vinterberg’s developing artistic sensibility.

Not available to stream or buy.

6 ‘The Command’ (2018)

IMDb: 6.6/10

The Command dramatizes a real incident in 2000 where a Russian submarine containing some 118 crew members sank in the Barents Sea. Some onboard remain alive, but time is rapidly running out. To make matters worse, the Russian government is reluctant to assist and ignores the desperate pleas of the crew’s families. At the same time, British naval officer Commodore David Russell (Colin Firth) tries to get permission to launch his own rescue operation.

This is probably Vinterberg’s biggest project, both in terms of narrative scale, budget, and star power. The cast includes several heavy hitters like August Diehl, Léa Seydoux, and Max von Sydow. The Command works as both a tense thriller and a study of dehumanizing bureaucracy, a damning portrait of Putin’s Russia, where human life seems not to be worth very much. “It was like complete new territory for me which made it a bit of a fairy tale,” Vinterberg said about making the film. “It’s fascinating how difficult it is to shoot in water!”

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5 ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ (2015)

IMDb: 7.1/10

Vinterberg pushed himself out of his comfort once again with this romantic period drama, an adaptation of the classic Thomas Hardy novel. Set in Victorian England, the story revolves around Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) after she inherits a farm. Soon after, Bathsheba is torn between three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a steadfast shepherd; William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a wealthy bachelor; and Sergeant Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a dashing but reckless soldier.

This material doesn’t necessarily lend itself easily to the screen, but Vinterberg more than rises to the occasion, conjuring up an immersive vision of 1870s England. Here, the vibrant colors and sumptuous cinematography are far from the stripped-back visuals he’s most known for. Far From the Maddening Crowd‘s real highlights, however, are the performances. Mulligan and Sheen, in particular, are such pros that they can make even the driest story engaging.

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4 ‘Submarino’ (2010)

IMDb: 7.5/10

Nick (Jakob Cedergren) and his unnamed brother (Peter Plaugborg) had a tough childhood. They grew up in an unstable home where they often had to act as the parental figures. One day, they realize their baby brother died, shattering the two boys’ lives. Nick becomes a hard-drinking bodybuilder forever in and out of prison; his brother grows up to be a single father with a heroin addiction. After years apart, the brothers meet at their mother’s funeral and then again in prison.

Submarino (the title refers to a type of water torture) is intense and bleak but also moving. It’s a work of social realism in the tradition of Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, diving deep into these characters and their environment. Here, Vinterberg examines the seldom-seen Denmark underworld and the addiction that runs rampant in it. Beneath all the darkness, though, Submarino suggests that maybe redemption is still possible, even in such dire circumstances.

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3 ‘Another Round’ (2020)

IMDb: 7.7/10

Mads Mikkelsen stars in this black comedy as Martin, a high school teacher stuck in a rut. To shake themselves out of it, he and his three colleagues embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of alcohol in their blood throughout the day. This begins as a lighthearted attempt to break free from their mundane lives but soon becomes something darker as the consequences of excess continue to mount.

Another Round is a masterful balancing act between mirth and melancholy, anchored by fantastic performances, particularly from Mikkelsen—his drunken dance during the climax is one of his all-time best acting moments. Comedy aside, the film is one of the last decade’s finest deconstructions of a midlife crisis. It received rave reviews and won the Oscar for Best International Feature. Another Round is probably Vinterberg’s most enjoyable movie, making it a great entry point for newcomers to his filmography.

Another Round

Release Date

December 18, 2020

Cast

Mads Mikkelsen , Thomas Bo Larsen , Lars Ranthe , Magnus Millang , Maria Bonnevie , Susse Wold

Rating

Not Rated

Runtime

117 minutes

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2 ‘The Celebration’ (1998)

IMDb: 8.1/10

The Celebration, Vinterberg’s second feature, marked a quantum leap forward from The Biggest Heroes. This simple but devastating story takes place during a family gathering to celebrate the 60th birthday of patriarch Helge (Henning Moritzen). As the festivities progress, long-buried family secrets and traumas come to light, unraveling the facade of bourgeois respectability. During a toast, Helge’s son Christian (Ulrich Thomsen) makes a shocking announcement, claiming Helge sexually abused him and his sister as children. The rest of the movie concerns the fallout of this accusation.

The film is a quintessential example of Dogme 95, with its simple handheld camerawork, limited locations, authentic performances, and lack of special effects. Here, the focus is on believable characters. The Celebration deals with explosive subject matter, but Vinterberg handles it all with a deft touch. Yet again, he combines tragedy with farce, planting some laugh-out-loud moments (like drunken antics and a chef hiding the keys) amid the bleakness.

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1 ‘The Hunt’ (2012)

IMDb: 8.3/10

Vinterberg’s masterpiece follows Lucas (Mikkelsen), a mild-mannered kindergarten teacher whose life takes a tragic turn when a young girl makes an unfounded claim against him. Falsely accused of child molestation, Lucas finds himself ostracized by the tight-knit community, facing hostility and suspicion from friends and neighbors. He fights to clear his name, but the animosity from the townsfolk soon reaches a fever pitch.

The Hunt is both a psychological drama and a moral horror; Lucas is truly trapped, with no good options in front of him. Even things that should count in his favor – like the police declining to charge him and his accuser recanting – only serve to make his neighbors even more convinced of his guilt. Mikkelsen is brilliant at portraying Lucas’s inner turmoil. He’s a subtle actor, conveying so much with just a glance or a twitch of a facial muscle. He rightly won the Best Actor Award at Cannes for his efforts. Whip-smart and confidently told, The Hunt is headed for future classic status.

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