Kira's Reason: A Love Story (2001)

Ole Christian Madsen follows up on his debut Pizza King with this Dogma 95 approved character study of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. At the film's outset, Mads (Lars Mikkelsen) dumps his girlfriend and picks up his wife at the local mental asylum. Upon being cast out of the peace and quiet of the institution, Mads' wife Kira (Stine Stengade) is noticeably agitated about being out in the real world.


 Of course, the lavish surprise "welcome home" party that Mads planned for her does little to allay her jitters. She quickly flees from the party and runs into her estranged, diffident father (Reine Brynolfsson). Embarrassed and furious at his wife's behavior, he tracks her down and drags her back home. Over the following days, Kira finds herself increasingly incapable with dealing with life's little agitations. Mads in turns responds by withdrawing from his wife, often with their children in tow. Eventually, Kira's fragile psyche collapses and as the source of her psychological trouble is revealed. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival.