Even though I had never heard of the director or the writer of this movie, I didn't hesitate to give it a try. The main reason for that is that I like most Scandinavian movies, because they always tell stories that are recognizable and often also touching without being too soppy. The second reason why I decided to watch it was Paprika Steen. I've seen her in four movies so far and until now I've never been disappointed by her performances or the movies that I saw her in...
"Okay" evolves around the lives of several members of one family. Nete is employee, housewife, mother,... all in one and is able to combine all this thanks to perfect and efficient planning. But all this suddenly changes when her father becomes very ill. They are told that the man has only three more weeks to live and almost certainly not any longer. Although her father doesn't really want it, she insists that he comes to live with her and her family the few weeks he has left, so he can die with his family around him. But her father is a difficult man and when Nete tries to start a dialog between him and his gay son (her brother) who he hasn't seen or spoken in eight years, his presence puts even more strain on the family's everyday life. They all do their best to cope with the situation, but when her father doesn't die after three weeks and even seems to get better, the bomb explodes. Nete's husband starts an affair which breaks up their marriage, her teenage daughter starts to rebel and her father's health gets worse again. When he's admitted to hospital and dies there alone, Nete's entire structured life appears to collapse, but it's then that she finds a new way of life and leaves the control freak in her behind.
What almost always strikes me in this kind of (Scandinavian) movies is the realism of the many characters. This is a family like your own or like that of the neighbors. They don't have a perfect life, they too have their problems and worries... That's something that I sometimes miss in American movies. Too often those families seem quite artificial and are not always very realistic.
The fact that I noticed the realistic family life in this movie also has a lot to do with the excellent performances by all the actors of course. Paprika Steen was excellent once again, but I also enjoyed the performances of all the other actors. Take for instance Ole Ernst who plays her father. With already 80 movies on his record, this man is a real veteran in Danish cinema and with his role in this movie he proves why he is so popular. He's a very talented actor who gave away an excellent performance in this movie. I haven't seen much else of his work so far, but I'll try to change that as soon as possible
Overall I would like to say that this movie proves that not every good movie from the 'North' has got to be a Dogme-movie. This too is a very realistic movie that has a great story and some very fine acting to offer. The only thing that I don't really understand is why it is called a comedy. Personally I can't say that I had a good laugh with it and I believe this is a pure drama. In my opinion a few funny lines still don't make a comedy. However, that's no reason not to like this movie. I really liked it a lot and I give it a well deserved 7.5/10. In my opinion it certainly doesn't deserve any less.
