Life-affirming and gently moving, director/editor/cinematographer Jella Bethmann’s highly watchable doc Mrs Hansen & The Bad Companions manages to restore our faith in humanity within a world that seems determined to sideline society’s waifs and strays.
The film follows the generous-spirited 80 year-old Dane Inger Hansen as she provides sanctuary – albeit messy and rather ramshackle – for an oddball selection of folk who have found it hard to get by in the general community, but who find solace of sorts with the über supportive Inger. Her faded suburban house may well be substantial but it is just as idiosyncratic and as challenging as the folk who live there.
Some have lived in the house for many years, while others drop in for brief periods and have moved on before anyone has even found out their names. Abuse and mental illness are important (but not sole) aspects of their back stories but what they all strive for is a sense of belonging and to be loved for themselves.
Tina, who leaves but returns a few months later, wants to try and give up vodka, while Martin – who has “No Mercy” tattooed on his neck – tries to the avoid police as he continues feed his various habits. Martin concedes that the house is dilapidated, undecorated and untidy, adding how, “it’s a dump. But it’s better than living on the street.”
Thomas sadly needs to go and pick up his late-wife’s ashes but also plays rock music through his phone as a way of remembering the good times, while Rene has lived in the basement for 18 years and proudly shows off his air gun collection and baseball bat (to fend off intruders) while indulgently playing with a group of tiny kittens. “They are so cute,” he adds with a gentle smile.
As they sit around, the group recalls others who stayed at the house. Some were instantly forgettable, but they all remember Benny because he believed he was from a different planet – even the regulars found him a little strange.
Inger herself is the busy and bustling epicentre of this dysfunctional family, always on hand with a smile to offer support and encouragement, never criticising her residents and always encouraging them to do better. While she is gently indulgent, she knows offering them a home free of overbearingly stringent rules is good for this group. She adds: “I’ve always had a soft spot for people with no sense of money.”
The film takes a worrying change of direction towards the end as Inger herself suddenly falls ill, and the guests must learn how to return some of the love, care and compassion. With Inger due to go to hospital for a scan, talk in the house turns to topics of age and death. Footage of cobwebs, dirt and dust act as a signifier of what is to come, and when she goes to the hospital they must sit and wait for news. It is a new perspective for them. She still wants to offer care – but now they will have to start looking after her.
Director Jella Bethmann paints a warm and generously life-affirming portrait of this “bad company”, immersing herself in their lives, gently earning their trust and giving space to people who exist on the edge of society and who are easily overlooked. But ultimately it is a film about a remarkable woman driven by love and compassion and who seeks no praise in return.
Denmark, 2023, 90mins
Dir: Jella Bethmann
Production: Sonntag Pictures
Producer: Sara Stockmann
Cinematography/Editor: Jella Bethmann
Music: Simon Gylden
With: Inger Lise Hansen, Martin Rasmussen, Thomas Pedersen, Helle Elisabeth Christensen, Tina Johansen, Rene Persson
