Empire

Pastel colors, stylized acting, and absurd humour in thought-provoking reinterpretation of the story of the last slaves in the Danish West Indies.

As a “free coloured” woman, Anna Elizabeth Heegaard is wealthy and owns her own slaves when she gets involved in a love affair with the Danish colony’s governor-general Peter von Scholten. During communal feasts, they discuss social reforms while a slave boy hangs above the table and cools the diners with a feather. And in the shadows, whispers begin of a slave revolt. Recently, Anna Neye staged a therapy session with Freud and von Scholten in a “therapeutic guidebook for white Danes”. As both screenwriter and actor, she now portrays how Heegaard is torn between political and personal motives in a fascinating portrayal of the psychological landscape of Danish colonial history.

• Jonas Holmberg