It’s said that life imitates art and though I don’t know if you can call television Soap Operas art, A Soap is a film that can be said to closely imitate life. A Soap follows the lives of two people who lead different lives yet share a common bond. Charlotte is the manager of a beauty salon, who recently separated from her boyfriend and moved into an apartment above Veronica. Veronica, who is actually a transsexual named Ulrike, leads a reclusive life watching television Soap Operas, lavishing attention on her dog and being a dominatrix.

A Soap touches on some very sensitive material, which allows us to be drawn into the lives of each character. Though at times I felt the film pulled some of its punches. The result is a film that strums the heartstrings rather than plucks them. Though it has a large feminine slant, guys shouldn’t be discouraged. There are plenty of moments to stop you nodding off in the cinema. The naturalistic lighting and handheld camera style add an element of realism to this movie: the first feature length film by director Pernille Fischer Christensen.

Though A Soap has many heart-wrenching moments, there are numerous instances where it’s laugh-out-loud funny, which gives the film a nice balance between two extremes. There are some who might be turned off this film due to the fact that all the dialogue is in Danish but they are missing out on something tremendous. A Soap portrays the lives of two people, both at odds with life, who are also suffering identity crises with regard to their place in this world. This film won a Silver Bear Award for Best Debut Film at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. It’s

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