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Pr.nr.: 111171

Hjemmefronten - UK

DVT/TG/ALA

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DANISH DOCUMENTARY

presents

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in collaboration with

The Danish Film Institute & TV2

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I probably wouldn't

have bought this place -

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- if I had known what kind

of neighbours we would get.

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We had no idea.

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Hey!

Don't stand on that ladder!

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They just jumped the fence and

cut down my trees with a chain saw.

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Then the name-calling started:

Stupid bitch and things like that.

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And since that day

it's been mayhem.

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Half of the Danish population have

had problems with their neighbour.

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No! This is not a joint fence!

It's Andersen's hedge and my fence!

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- My dog is none of your business!

- No ...

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If you can't solve your problem

with a chat by the hedge -

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- you can request

public inspection

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Welcome to the inspection

here on Cherry Road.

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The aim of the inspection

is to mediate between neighbours

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There's no need to fight over what

falls down when you trim the hedge.

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Yes, well you both have a temper.

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The Fence Committee is

politically appointed.

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It's all dated politicians who just want

a seat in the city council -

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- who get this job.

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We follow the work of

the Fence Committe from spring till fall

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THE HOME FRONT

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A FILM BY

PHIE AMBO

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Where does your freedom end

and that of your neighbour begin?

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It's a sharp and sudden line.

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And it's very hard to control,

if you don't reflect on it now and then.

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'Oops, your own freedom

has its limits'.

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There are 6 million hedges

and fences in Denmark.

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If you put them side by side -

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- they'd reach around the Earth

2.5 times.

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I'm Mogens Peulicke, and I'm

the local fence committee chairman.

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I'm 62 years old, and I've been fence

committee chairman for 10 years.

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In neighbourhoods like this

it's important -

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- that hedges and fences

fit nicely -

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- so that everyone is comfortable

living as close together as they do.

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Rotten roots

in the back yard

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The inspection is about to begin -

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- so if you come over here,

we'll look at your place afterwards.

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Is it normal procedure that you start

on one side and then go to the other?

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- Yes ...

- I have nothing to say to him.

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- Do you ever talk?

- Sure, I don't mind talking to him.

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Hi, and welcome to the fence

inspection and mediation.

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We represent the municipality,

and my name is Mogens Peulicke.

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The point of this inspection is to see

if we can negotiate a settlement -

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- so as to solve this problem.

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If we don't succeed,

we will rule on the matter.

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If you don't accept our ruling,

you may take it to city court.

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The complainant is Basse Larsen

who called this inspection.

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Yes.

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As you can see the hedge

down there isn't a pretty sight.

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And why is that?

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There's a slope from the house

towards the hedge -

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- and all the water goes

to the hedge roots, which kills them.

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- My side isn't flooded at all.

- The roots have obviously rotted.

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But your garden is lower

than mine in this area.

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This came

when you started building.

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Do you agree that you need

to plant a new hedge?

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- I don't agree ...

- Not until we fix some sort of drain.

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Otherwise we'll be back here

again in 5 years.

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So, if I put a drain

all the way through here -

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- and have it end

somewhere down there -

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- he has to do something on his side,

or we'll be discussing this forever.

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Why do I have to drain my lot just

because he makes a slope on his?

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Well, if you plant a new hedge you

can always level it out somewhat.

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What kind of hedge

are we talking about?

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A privet this high?

I have 3 kids, and I foresee problems -

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- with a hedge only this high,

as I don't sense great tolerance.

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No, that's true.

We're all out of tolerance.

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They have 3 boys who play football,

which is just fine.

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But sometimes they start

on Saturday morning, play all day -

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- and continue throughout Sunday.

One day as late as till 12 P.M.

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- How about a board fence?

- I don't want a damn board fence.

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- It's just a suggestion.

- It's out of the question.

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If you were a reasonable man,

you'd drain on your side, too.

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- But where do I lead the drain?

- That's<your> problem!

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So, you both agree to drain, then?

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A drain will do no good

as I can't get rid of the water!

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Let's drop it.

We'll just rule on the matter.

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We'll rule on this matter.

It obviously can't be resolved here.

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There are 1,300 fence inspections

in Denmark each year

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And the number is rising

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An inspection costs DKK 1,125

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I always say to people:

Throw a street party or something.

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That DKK 1,125 will buy you steaks

and wine for starters.

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And it softens up communication.

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When there aren't children to run back

and forth between the houses -

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- communication seems to be

more complicated.

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And it doesn't take much

for people to get offended -

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- and stop talking to each other.

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"We've had 20 great years together,

and now we can't even talk anymore."

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It's usually something silly

like a hedge.

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I know it sounds a bit crazy

to fall out over a dog but ...

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I've always loved animals.

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Man's best friend

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It all started about 7-8 years ago

because of something trivial.

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This lady in Southern Jutland

kept 14 collies in a barn.

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The RSPCA interfered,

and an article appeared in our paper -

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- about how badly

the dogs had been mistreated.

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I decided to give one of the dogs

a nice home.

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I came home and fenced in my garden

all around.

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He'd never been outside before.

He'd only ever been in that barn.

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It was very sad. The dog was sick,

and he had no control over it.

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The poor thing was brain damaged.

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So when he came here, he loved

running around the garden -

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- but if there were someone around,

he might go a little crazy.

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He barked ... like hell.

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If I went out on my terrace, to the

garbage bin or just through my door -

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- the dog was there.

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Then this person next door ...

The woman, probably drunk -

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- was walking out on the path,

and he barked at her.

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She then started cursing at him:

"Stupid damn dog -

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- you should be put down,"

and comments like that.

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- She came after me, too.

- Well, she's got no right to.

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They're animals that have been

mistreated, so that makes me mad!

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And Ellen, too.

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It went on for years,

so first you get frustrated, then mad -

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- and at some point you explode.

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One word led to the next.

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She's Norwegian, so I said:

"Shut up, mountain goat, go home."

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'Stupid bitch', and things like that.

And since that day it's been mayhem.

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The groundwork was laid

for a 'great' relationship.

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I was accused of making alterations

on my garage construction.

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A new board fence was erected

to hide his shit-pile of a garage.

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That's how it started

and after some time -

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- I received

another letter from a lawyer -

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- stating that I had firs

planted on the boundary line.

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Any idiot can see how far this tree is

from the boundary line.

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No one has approached me and

asked me to do something about it.

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It's always by way of a letter from

a lawyer or the technical department.

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We tried! The last 10 years

we've made serious attempts ...

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It's probably 15 years. "Yes, I'll

take care of it, for sure," he said -

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- but nothing changed.

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Only the authorities

can make him take action.

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But ... It just never ends.

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It's harassment.

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Chainsaw

gone astray