Teddy Bear
Dennis, a painfully shy 38-year-old bodybuilder who lives with his mother, sets off to Thailand in search of love.
**Best Director - World Cinema, Sundance Film Festival 2012 ** A truly unique portrait of a Dennis, a hulking physical presence that overshadows a painfully shy and awkward man. In every social encounter, people assume he is an alpha-male and want him to flex, but the trauma of each experience is etched into his sad eyes. He tries to find companionship but strikes out at every turn. And his petite (and racist) mother, with whom he still lives, remains his only female companion.
When his smooth-talking uncle shows up at a family gathering with a new Thai wife, Dennis decides to sneak away to Thailand and explore this shortcut to happiness with mixed results.
“The sex and filial troubles of 308-pound persons are not exactly common. But Matthiesen has evoked both the pathos and courage in these troubles, and, with the help of this reticent giant, explores them enticingly.” - The New Republic
“A heart-wrenching central performance anchors Mads Matthiesen’s intimate, empathetic drama about a Danish bodybuilder who aims to grow up as he nears middle age.” - New York Daily News
“Kim Kold’s Dennis is such an unconventional character it’s not hard to be drawn into his world.” - Comingsoon.net
Teddy Bear began as a fantastic 18 minute short also directed by Mads Matthiesen. Check it out here.