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The Celebration Review:
Made according to the principles of the Danish Dogme 95 film movement, designed to free filmmaking from glossy clichés, Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration (1998) turns Dogme's technical limits into a stylistic vehicle for a family gathering that takes an unexpected turn. Following Dogme's vows of cinematic purity, Vinterberg shot on location using only hand-held cameras and natural light and sound, creating an intimate atmosphere throughout the long night of the party. With video cameras that are less obtrusive than film cameras might have been, Vinterberg zeroes in on private moments of emotional revelation, as well as the public pronouncements of incest, allowing the sterling cast of actors to play out a complex range of feelings. Veering from black comedy to family tragedy, from sexual farce to restrained drama, the film uses mobile shots and jarring edits to keep the viewer as off-balance as the partygoers. Though the tight screenplay structure harks back to the styles of Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, and Luis Buñuel, the deceptively low-tech, shock-cut visuals move The Celebration beyond art-cinema homage. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, among other festival and critics' prizes, The Celebration became Dogme 95's first international arthouse success. Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide