Overview
Four small-time gangsters find unexpected friendship and purpose in a rundown house as they escape their past.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- sardonic
- irreverent
- dark comedy night
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film entertaining and distinctive, praising its darkly comic character work while noting an uneven blend of tonal registers.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Torkild, Peter, Arne, and Stefan redirect stolen money toward renovating a rural house and opening a restaurant.
The film combines gangland violence and childhood trauma with deadpan banter, friendship rituals, and restaurant renovation.
The men's criminal adult lives are connected to childhood experiences revealed through flashback material.
The gangsters flee Copenhagen for a wrecked countryside house that becomes the site of their attempted transformation.
Films like Flickering Lights, and why
In Bruges
darkly comic crime ensemble, male friendship, and violent gangland complications
The Guard
quirky gangster comedy balancing criminal violence with eccentric character relationships
The Funeral
black humor, criminal protagonists, and an attempted escape into an unconventional new life
Movie Details
- Director
- Anders Thomas Jensen
- Release Date
- 2000-11-03
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (261)
Cast
- Søren Pilmark
- Ulrich Thomsen
- Mads Mikkelsen
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas
- Sofie Gråbøl
- Iben Hjejle
- Frits Helmuth
- Ole Thestrup
- Peter Andersson
- Niels Anders Thorn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Viaplay Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Flickering Lights about?
- Four Copenhagen gangsters hide stolen millions in the countryside and discover that rebuilding a wrecked house may be harder—and more meaningful—than escaping their criminal past.
- What is Flickering Lights like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Flickering Lights as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Flickering Lights violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Flickering Lights as moderate.
- What did critics think of Flickering Lights?
- Critics broadly found the film entertaining and distinctive, praising its darkly comic character work while noting an uneven blend of tonal registers.
- Which films are like Flickering Lights?
- Films with a similar feel include In Bruges, The Guard, and The Funeral.
- How long is Flickering Lights?
- Flickering Lights runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch Flickering Lights?
- In United States, Flickering Lights streams on Viaplay Amazon Channel.
