The Judge

Running time: 105 mins

Jens Christian is a highly respected judge and chairman of the Danish Refugee Board. Before him is a controversial case involving a poet and political activist who is seeking asylum for fear of a certain death if he is returned to his home country. When Jens pronounces his decision, the poet commits an unspeakable act and launches Jens into a political and professional crisis.

In the midst of all the confusion surrounding him, Jens is confronted by Anders, his 15-year-old son, whom he has never met. Seeking to develop a relationship, Anders is unrelenting in his attempts to involve Jens in his life. Pressured by Anders? mother to acknowledge a paternalistic bond that he doubts he can fulfill, Jens also strives to maintain his clandestine affair with a colleague on the Refugee Board, who has also come under heat for her asylum vote. With chaos seemingly everywhere in his life, Jens must decide not only who to fight, but whether to fight at all.

Director Gert Fredholm portrays a world of political intrigue through the introspective story of a man faced with the dilemma of choosing between tarnishing his reputation and giving up what he loves for the unknown of accepting responsibility and seeking happiness in his personal relationships. It will be the hardest decision in his life.

Sandy Wolf

MAVERICK COMPETITION