Today marks the Los Angeles release of a compelling foreign film that I recently got a chance to screen called Flame and Citron. The picture, directed by Danish helmer Ole Christian Madsen, had its European release last year and was showered with critical attention across the continent–it gained two of its lead performers nominations for the European Film Awards (kinda like their Oscars).

Flame and Citron follows the true story of two Danish resistance fighters during WWII who went by the nicknames of Flame and Citron (hence the title). Together, the two steadily rose to fame and infamy (depending on what side of the war you were on) for their heroic escapades (mostly targeted assassinations and acts of sabotage) fighting the Nazis during the German occupation of Denmark. As the story plays out, over its two-hour-plus running time (don’t worry, you won’t notice it), we watch the characters as they begin to question the noble cause they’ve championed at the expense of their personal lives and to an extent, their mental well-being.

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Having to at once deal with the horrors of the occupation and their chosen vocations, our two lead characters slowly discover that their virtuous leaders may not be as noble as they would seem, leading the duo to navigate a web of deception, which of course gets complicated by the additions of romance and friendship. Such intrigue guides the narrative through skillfully placed twists and turns giving the viewer a constantly moving dramatic ride which hovers only within the realm of nuance and subtlety–never falling into the category of melodrama.

The picture drives along, through its carefully hammered out plot, illustrating very finely both the narrative and emotional conflicts that arise for each of our main characters. As indicated by the accolades received for their performances, the thesps in this one fill out their roles with a stringent attention to building a truthful inner-life for their characters, which helps captivate the audience and catapult what could simply be an interesting, stylized war picture into a more dramatically successful endeavor.

Madsen pulls out all the stops, putting on for us a post-Scorsese filmmaking clinic of sorts. While he rigorously adheres to his narrative, allowing the story to dictate the aesthetic, he adds proverbial colors to his template by exercising a skillfully managed palette of cinematic language: voice-over, jump-cuts, an elevated use of authorial camera movement, and the like.  These elements bring constant attention to the fact that we are watching a movie while at the same time manage to never distract the viewer and instead heighten the film-going experience. This is definitely a picture whose filmic qualities and excellent storytelling beckon you to seek it out and see it on a big screen in all of its cinematic glory.

The film has been playing in New York City since the beginning of the month and opens in Los Angeles this weekend.