«In the name of the father, his two sons and his deranged mind

Cinema Wednesdays - Diana-Alice Ramsauer

A article published in Good for the head

Yes, the In the name of the father brings together all the questions asked by an affluent fringe of the population, focused on its own personal fulfillment: relationship with the father, relationship problems, spirituality, emotional management and the discovery of LGBTQIA* sexuality. And yet, the strength of the emotions that emerge is not insignificant. Actor Lars Mikkelsen, who won an Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor, is no stranger to powerful storytelling.

Johannes Krogh is an outstanding speaker (and, incidentally, pastor). We experience this in the very first scenes of the ten-part series In the name of the father. He has two sons: the eldest, Christian, with his cold features, prominent veins and dark eyes, is struggling to finish his studies in economics at the age of thirty after dropping out of theology. Younger brother August, with his angelic smile, red halo and gentle voice, carries on the family tradition, preaching with modernity in a Copenhagen church. A very religious family, but one that could resemble many others. The stage is set for a promising story.

Half angel, half snake

But Johannes is more than just a moving speaker. He's also a man possessed - whether literally or figuratively, we're never quite sure. A patriarch with a snake-like attitude, he is violent in the words he spews at those closest to him, and destructive in the alcohol he ingests during his passages through the underworld. He's also a father obsessed with family tradition: for two hundred and fifty years, one has been a pastor from father to son, and nothing must stand in the way of this custom.

Christian quickly fled from this pressure, between denial of his father, chaotic love affairs and a trip to Nepal, which unexpectedly brought him closer to another form of spirituality and enabled him to stop ’being angry« and »learn to breathe«. He wrote a book about it, which went on to become a best-seller. bestseller. Criticism of a particularly profitable trend, that of writing books entitled How can I be happy? or is it the well-oiled rhetoric of «personal coaches»?  In the name of the father doesn't seem to call anything into question in this respect. Perhaps the series simply wishes to reflect the quest for answers, in a world that is increasingly difficult to grasp.

As for August? He carries the family burden of being a pastor. His father's little darling because of his commitment to the Church, he nevertheless experiences a traumatic event that makes him doubt his faith, then plunges him into a dangerous fanaticism. Influenced by this half-depressive, half-narcissistic father, his charming candor is gradually transformed into a painful sneer. In the name of the father offers a variation on the «weight of secrecy» theme - seen over and over again - which nevertheless subtly evolves the characters.

So, is this series, which delves into the question of spirituality, a success?

Some of the story's details are unfortunately disappointing. Do you really have to sleep with your best friend's girlfriend, fall off a cliff and land with Buddhist monks in order to question yourself? Do we really have to flee the marital home in a same-sex romance to turn our daily lives upside down? And do we really have to save (Muslim) refugee children to satisfy a need for solidarity? These examples are obviously in the zeitgeist, and undeniably sell well: it's a commercial bias well played. However, a little more finesse would have been appreciated.

And yet, the complex narrative is both limpid and brilliant; the depth of the questioning on the relationship to Christianity, brought about notably by quotations from the Bible, long inspirational sermons and a questioning of the normativity of the Church, offer a depth that is all accessible; the ambiguity of family feelings stirs with force. So yes, after the Borgen, director Adam Price has once again succeeded in touching and questioning.

Write to the’author: diana-alice.ramsauer@bonpourlatete.com

Photo credit: © Tine Harden

In the name of the father, season 1, free to view until December 28 on ARTE +7