The first thing I knew about 'Italian For Beginners' was that it was a Danish Dogme film. Anyone who knows me will know I would already be slightly moist by this point. 'IFB' is undoubtedly closer to 'Mifune' than to 'The Idiots', which means an easier ride, certainly, but by no means a less entertaining one. Indeed, it's possibly the least Dogme-ish film of the lot so far, if you know what I mean.

'IFB' shares an actor with 'Mifune' as well, namely the fantastic Anders W. Berthelsen (Pastor Andreas). Andreas is a substitute Pastor, following an unsavoury incident involving the aggressive former Reverend Wredmann and an organist and a balcony.

Along the way, we meet many characters, who share membership of an Italian evening class, run by a charismatic letch with a heart problem. Much of the action is set in a complex consisting of a hotel, restaurant, stadium and hair salon.

Olympia (Anette Støvelbæk) is a clumsy girl who works in a bakery by day and tends to her oppressive housebound father by night. Karen (Ann Eleonora Jørgensen) is the hairdresser, whose crush (below left) on Halvfinn (Lars Kaalund) provides a lovely comic motif through his abject failures to obtain a haircut from her. Halvfinn works in the restaurant with the lovely Italian Giulia (below right), who has a crush on the psychosomatically impotent Jørgen Mortensen (superbly played by Peter Gantzler). Jørgen is an intensely unfulfilled man, both emotionally and career-wise, where he is facing demotion from his job as a receptionist. The underlying reflection of the story is that of liberation through loss. Pastor Andreas' wife passed away 6 months previously as a result of schizophrenia undiagnosed (she was very religious, they just presumed....), both Karen and Olympia are drained by the single parent that they still see, and when Halvfinn is faced with losing the only job he knows how to do his world is turned upside down. Gradually, partially through the Italian class (which sort of represents the exotic excitement that's missing from their lives) they manage to pull each other through their trials and tribulations. The inspirational Pastor finds strength from his cohorts and helps Jørgen's confidence with Giulia, as well as playing a key role in the lives of Karen and Olympia.

Deeply emotional throughout, but played with a deft comedic touch and true heart, this is a nicely blended, highly moving fable which had me in turn laughing my arse off and crying my heart out.