The 70s People

70’ernes folk

Peter Watkins’ intimate, provocative film explores isolation, communication and the sometimes tragic pressures of modern life.

  • Director

    Peter Watkins

  • Denmark 1975. 127min

  • Digital

  • English subtitles

Structured around re-enactments, interviews and group discussions, Watkins’ rarely-screened film investigates the conditions underpinning rising suicide rates in an outwardly affluent and seemingly ideal Denmark in the 1970s. Sidestepping conventional documentary approaches, Watkins encourages participants to reflect openly on loneliness, generational conflict and the pressures of modern existence. Characteristically sceptical of institutional authority, Watkins’ approach expands into a wider critique of contemporary society and its failures of communication.

James Bell