Danish filmmaker Nicolaj Kopernikus’s short film From Above is a touching and emotional portrayal of lost love and longing. Morten (Nicolaj Kopernikus), an artistic and charismatic father, is creating a portrait of a tiger on the floor with clothes, asking his daughter, Viola (Emilie Kroyer Koppel), to find certain colors, who realizes his vision and the tiger from looking down on it from a place above. However, this father-daughter moment is marred by brutal fighting and hatred between Viola’s mother, Christina (Lene Maria Christensen), and her father, which, to her dismay as a young girl, must bear witness with little consideration to her feelings or emotions.
“Morten… is creating a portrait of a tiger on the floor with clothes, asking his daughter, Viola, to find certain colors.”
Fast forward, peeping through a hedge, Morten, now a drunk, homeless vagrant, tries to catch a peek at his daughter in his once home as Viola is now a young woman. Morten is shooed away, and in his dwelling places, drinking and loitering, he is shunned by all. At one point, he is sleeping in his encampment, where Viola’s boyfriend pees down from above on his sleeping bag. It’s a moment of realization for Morton as his daughter recognizes him. A catalyst to change, Morton trespasses into a sports club, cleaning up and stealing clothes, and creates a ground portrait of Viola with plastic bags, which grabs her attention.
From Above is engaging filmmaking metaphorically aligned with its subject matter—a universal calling card for mental health and well-being initiatives. Nicolaj Kopernikus is transformative as an actor and creator. He uses cinema to the furthest extent possible to convey his message with iconic European visual storytelling, where very little says a great deal. In addition, artistic vision is everywhere in art direction, timing, and dramatic realization. It’s timeless but current.
"…a universal calling card for mental health..."
