In the highly poignant feature doc project Retrograd, directors Anders Grønbæk and Esben Persson follow Peer Balken, now nearing 70, who was placed in 28 different orphanages a total of 90 times and subjected to countless sexual assaults. At the age of 15, he began to live on the streets of Copenhagen where he remained for 30 years, addicted to morphine, at times turning to prostitution.
In 2004 he was allocated his first apartment, “the perfect place for a slow alcoholic suicide,” read the project notes, until one day he saw a documentary about two former orphanage children the same age as himself. At which point he became inspired to find answers to his own traumas…
“Through writing his autobiography and confronting his past, Peer finds new purpose – not being the perpetual victim, but someone who can inspire others, especially past and present children in care, while challenging society to rethink its approach to both trauma healing and foster care,” producer Kasper Lykke Schultz tells Business Doc Europe. “With a creative and playful approach, we aim to do a highly artistic feature documentary – conveying a universal story with focus on change and potential rather than delving in melodrama and pity.”
The film captures Peer’s process of healing with the help of Oskar, his book editor and psychologist.
“Peer’s mission is to inspire others and break the culture of shame surrounding victims of all kinds,” Lykke Schultz adds. “Retrograd offers a fresh, multi-dimensional take on the long-standing debate about institutional care for children. Rather than focusing on statistics and facts, it centres on Peer…who invites us into his world with his unfiltered, inspiring, hopeful, humorous, and quirky approach to life. He humanizes the data, offering hope in the face of tragedy.”
The documentary marks the feature debut of directors Grønbæk and Persson, who began following Peer in 2019, quickly building a large archive of footage. “Anders, with a year-long anthropological focus on foster care and its victims, and Esben, experienced in experimental documentary and fiction films, complement each other perfectly,” says Lykke Schultz. “With an investigative, unconventional narrative style, [they] aim to push the boundaries of the documentary genre. After years of following Peer, they are prepared to bring their creative vision to life, involving Peer as an active collaborator. Their approach promises an authentic and artistic portrayal that will stand as an enduring inspiration for both individuals and society.”
Lykke Schultz underlines how Retrograd will blend factual and fictional elements to convey Peer’s complex journey of reconciliation, following him on a “detective-like” exploration of both his external world and inner self.
“The film captures Peer’s search for his past and a meaningful life through intimate, on-location footage in tandem with a more expressionistic, metaphorical space where Peer stages his memories, imaginations, and dreams, offering the audience a deeper psychological and emotional perspective,” the producer stresses. “The film challenges its audience with an experimental yet grounded narrative. While serious in theme, the tone reflects Peer’s unique, hopeful, and unfiltered personality. Stylistic influences range from raw realism to performative therapeutic reconstructions, intimate body explorations, and elements of surrealism, all contributing to the film’s innovative, emotionally resonant storytelling.”
In Malmö, Lykke Schultz will be looking to secure financial partners, as well as potential distribution and broadcast interest, on the film which has received development support from the Danish Film Institute and The West Danish Film Fund. If all goes to plan, the doc will finish production by the end of 2025, ahead of a premiere at an early 2026 fest, he says. “We are also always on the look-out for innovative Impact partners to collaborate with during production to plan a well-oiled launch.”
