Hercules Falling

Local title
Heraklese langemine
Original title
Herkules Falder
Director
Christian Bonke
Country
Year
2025
Festival
29th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Genre

Danish superstar Dar Salim is back in a striking role as a psychologically wounded warrior.

Every war ends sooner or later, but it leaves scars on the hearts and minds of those who survive it. For Youssef, Afghanistan and Iraq linger. After an almost fatal incident at home, he enrols in a special facility to prepare for another battle: this time, to learn to control his anger. It's not going to be easy.

Director Christian Bonke combines documentary and fiction as he takes us to the island of Strynø. There, Anne-Line Ussing and her husband, Stuart Press – who was diagnosed with PTSD 10 years after serving in the Australian Army – run a voluntary retreat centre for Danish soldiers such as Youssef. In the company of war veterans, generous hosts and their children, Dar Salim, who won the Best Actor award for “Until We Fall” at PÖFF 2018, delivers a performance of brutal honesty and frank authenticity in this gripping drama, which is both painstakingly researched and extensively timely. The film explores the possibility of rebuilding the life a former soldier deserves. Vulnerable Youssef attends vital group exercises to process an enormous amount of grief and learns to accept the person he has become.

The scariest reality of this heartbreaking film is that, after ongoing wars (Ukraine is mentioned), thousands of traumatised soldiers like Youssef, Felix, Knudsen and Thomas will return home. There will be tears.

Edvinas Pukšta

Director
Christian Bonke
Screenwriter
Christian Holten Bonke, Marianne Lentz
Cast
Dar Salim, Christine Gjerulff, Thomas Abrigo, Hector Banissi, Indee Ussing Press, Anne Line Ussing, Stuart Press, Casper Fink, Morten Klenstrup
Producer
Amalie Lyngbo Quist, Sebastian Weyland
Cinematographer
Niels Thastum
Production Design
Tilde Platz
Editing
Denniz Göl Bertelsen
Composer
Kaiser Maas
Sound
Rasmus Winther
Production
Beo Starling
Co production
Heimathafen Film
World sales
ReInvent
Runtime
Language
Subtitles
Director
Christian Bonke

Christian Bonke (1973) is a Copenhagen-based film director who works inbetween documentary and fiction. He attended the National Film School of Denmark, graduating in 2005. He has directed music videos, commercials and television documentaries. His documentary “Ballroom Dancer” (2011) received critical acclaim and won awards at festivals such as Tribeca, Nordic Panorama, and London Raindance. In 2015 he directed “Ejersbo”, a documentary about a Danish author Jakob Ejersbo. In 2022, he co-directed a documentary about modern advertising titled “Kill Your Darlings”.
Filmography:
Ballroom Dancer (2011, co-dir, doc), Ejersbo (2015, doc), Kill Your Darlings (2022, co-dir, doc, short), Hercules Falling (2025)

Award for the best film, grant of 5000€ by

Screenings

Screening100217 / Heraklese langemine
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Q&A guestsChristian Bonke (Director), Niels Thastum (Cinematographer)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Trailer