Race, Ethnicity and Gang Violence: Exploring Multicultural Tensions in Contemporary Danish Cinema

Abstract

One of the most striking genre conventions to emerge in Danish cinema in recent years is the gangster motif. Replete with gritty social realism, urban decay, and tribal warfare between different ethnic groups these films reflect a growing discontent in the Danish welfare state, particularly regarding multiculturalism and inclusion. I follow these trends from the mid-1990s, focusing specifically on the themes of ethnic division in several key texts. These include Michael Noer and Tobias Lindholm’s R [R: Hit First, Hit Hardest] (2010), Michael Noer’s Nordvest [Northwest] (2013) and Omar Shargawi’s Gå med fred, Jamil [Go With Peace, Jamil] (2008). I explore racial division in these films by examining how they reflect or subvert cultural and political approaches towards diversity in Denmark over the last two decades.