This Friday was also one of the opening events for the local documentary film festival CPH:DOX. The festival doesn't start until November 9th but there are already some preliminary warm-ups all over the city right now. This one was called Bodily Functions and took place in the very cozy and friendly 'Byens Lys' in Christiania.

The location was sort of a mixture of bar, lounge and cinema all combined in one room with the whole floor being covered with silica sand, which felt a bit weird to walk on indoors. The evening
would be filled with three short films: an instructional movie from the 40s for nurses showing how to wash patients incapable of doing it themselves, two pre-pornos from the 60s shown simultaneously on top of each other (like two transparent layers), and a documentary also from the 60s made by the U.S. Army depicting the worklife of doctors/medics in the Vietnam War.

The first movie was just plain weird and I felt like one of these freaky film nerds who stare at a blank screen for three hours and are then able to hold nightlong monologues about the deeper meaning of it. The second one was, of course, a bit more entertaining and unintentionally funny. Lots of flower power, strange dancing and the conclusion that 40 years ago it apparently took a lot less to get people aroused than it does today. The third and last film was extremely gross and hard to watch. Soldiers getting their legs sawed off, getting the burned skin stripped off their muscles and getting bullets pulled out of their eye sockets. Not a pretty sight – several people left the building. What made it so bad was maybe not the bloody pictures itself, but the knowledge that this was the real thing and not just cheap special effects.

I should add, that the original sound of the movies was turned off and replaced by atmospheric lo-fi sound (1st) and rock music (2nd) created by a live band positioned to side of the screen. The third film was accompanied by three readers simultaneously reciting short texts, also live. All in all very artsy but interesting and entertaining nonetheless. Plus, the location and atmosphere we're just so relaxed and friendly one couldn't help but feel comfortable. Afterwards we went to a Halloween party at the Copenhagen Film School but didn't stay very long. The music was crap, the crowd not too wild and we were all still a bit shaky from the last movie. But the girls, oh my god, the girls. I guess I will never get over that as long as I'm here.



Please excuse the quality of the pics, it was a bit too dark. And sorry there are no shots of movie number 2, I know you'd like to see some – I misplaced my camera and couldn't find it in the dark. No shit!