MONO
The reason why we make movies is because words sometimes aren`t enough. If I could write the premiss of this short film prior to making it, there would be noe reason in making it at all. Since this short takes on some pretty hard questions I do however feel the need to explain it to some degree by words. Here it goes.
This film was written prox two years ago by me and Morten and is somewhat a result of trying to understand the conflict between freedom of speech and respect for individual religious beliefs. The willingness to kill for something you believe in, in contrast with, the willingness to die for something you believe in. I define terror as an impersonal act of horror commited in the name of something believed to be bigger than oneselves. By doing so, the individual justifies the act of horror and no longer considered himself as a murderer. I will not kill for my freedom of speach, though many get killed by standing up for it.
So to me, putting it down easy, the good guys get killed for something they believe in, and the bad guys kill.
This leads to the question if there is any difference between beeing a soldier, and beeing a terrorist. When a soldier kills for something he believes in, how is that any different from a terrorist as we know it? Who has the power of definition?
In Mono our premiss is that terrorists kill not as an individual, but as a part of a collective, that justify their acts through an intangible i.e. religion (paradise). Soldiers also kill as a part of a collective, but do so justifiably by something tangible; i.e. to protect eachother / brothers in arms, from harm.
By drawing this line I do not embrace war as a legitimate way of conflict solution, but I do not blame or hold judgement over the soldiers since theire acts are based on tangibles. It is committed as an individual act to protect the collective which is a very human instinct. So, to conclude, a terrorist is someone who justify killing via intangibles i.e. God (Super-Human), a soldier is someone who justify killing via tangibles i.e family, friends, fellow soldiers (Human). Mono is intended as a structure to contemplate these questions.
FUN FACTS
“One of the lead actors where casted in the danish warfilm “De standhaftige” while we were in production."
“This film was shot in November, outside Copenhagen at a landfill. It was freaking cold, wet and windy.”
“The bomb was 70 % of our total budget of prox 10.000 Danish kroner, and we only had one chance to make it work.”
“Three of the actors are soldiers by occupation and helped us tremendously with making the film as realistic as possible."
POLAROIDS
This film would never be possible without the help and patience of so many wonderful and gifted people.
Huge thanks to our friends and family and all of you out there who has supported us from day one.