Just Another Love Story (2007)

[Movie 256 / Day 273]

Jonas (Anders W Berthelsen) is a crime scene photographer with a wife, two kids, mortgage and a crappy old car that constantly breaks down. Julia (Rebecka Hemse) is a young girl who has just arrived back in Denmark after fleeing her psychopathic boyfriend Sebastian (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). Jonas’s car breaks down on the side of the road and witnesses Julia in a horrific car crash that nearly kills her. Feeling somewhat responsible for the accident (his car was blocking part of the road), Jonas goes to visit her in hospital where he is mistaken for Sebastian by her family and doctors.

Instead of correcting the mistake, he goes along with it and before long, has fallen in love with her. He leaves his wife and children to look after Julia, until the real Sebastian comes looking for them.

I was expecting a slasher thriller/horror, but that isn’t what I got. There isn’t much violence in it (although what there is tends to be brutal); instead, Just Another Love Story is a film noire that deals with the human need to always look for the greener grass. I really enjoyed it and felt empathy for Jonas. It’s not a happy ending by any means.

The acting was, for the most part, extremely good; the plot was good and helped massively by the creative editing that succeeded in contrasting Jonas’s home life and his life as Sebastian; the soundtrack was hauntingly beautiful (and featured some subtle effects that I loved – like the sweeping classical music that seemlessly switched to being played through tinny supermarket speakers as the visuals cut to and fro).

If you want something a bit different to the usual Hollywood fare, Just Another Love Story is recommended – and we have two copies to give away so you can make up your own mind. Click here to enter the competition.

My Rating:
[ IMDB rating: 7.5 / 10 | IMDB link | Running time: 100 mins ]