Knight of Fortune

Karl Leif Andrée is a widower who sends a quiet, painful gaze toward the casket of his late wife in the morgue, unable to bring himself to open it. His heart is heavy, and the moment feels solitary until another widower, Torben Jens Jørn Spottag, quietly enters the scene in the washroom to request toilet paper. What begins as a chance encounter quickly shifts as Torben asks Karl for help: he doesn’t believe he has the strength to confront the sight of his dead wife alone. After a brief hesitation, Karl is moved by Torben’s sadness and, driven by a desire to share the burden, agrees to help him face the tomb.

Together they move toward one of the morgue’s rooms to confront Torben’s deceased wife. Torben reveals that he has prepared a lengthy, 32-page speech to deliver to her, a ritual of farewell that Karl finds both odd and oddly touching. Despite some irritation, Karl decides to stay, and as Torben speaks, the two men stumble upon a small, shared thread in their grief: both of their wives had been fans of the song Knight of Fortune by Rocazino. This accidental common ground softens the edges of their initial unease and gives rise to a tentative companionship, a quiet exchange of memories and empathy that allows them to feel a little less alone in their losses. But the room’s solemn mood is shattered when the Mortuary Porter arrives with eight other people, intruding upon their private moment.

The porter presents the chest to the eight visitors, and Karl exchanges a look with Torben, who steps back toward the wall with a sense of dread. Karl asks if these people are Torben’s family, but Torben shakes his head, and the group advances toward the chest to offer condolences. It becomes clear to Karl, slowly, that Torben does not know the deceased woman inside the chest and is playing along for the others’ sake. Karl’s confusion grows into a shadow of anger, and he leaves the room, with Torben following but not quite catching up. Karl re-enters the room, now standing in front of his own wife’s chest, but he cannot bring himself to go further, turning back to ask Torben to leave. He then seeks answers from the Mortuary Porter about Torben, who explains that Torben’s wife disappeared after a boating accident three years earlier, and her body was never recovered, leaving Torben without a proper goodbye.

As Karl steps outside, he spots Torben on a bench and contemplates returning to him, ultimately choosing to join him instead of driving away. The two men share a breath of relief and laughter, a small moment of human connection in the midst of sorrow. Back inside the morgue, Torben helps Karl summon the courage to open the chest containing his own wife, a gesture that marks a turning point in Karl’s process of mourning. The scene culminates with Karl kissing his dead wife, a moment of release and acceptance, while Torben raises his voice in song, finishing with the refrain of Knight of Fortune. The film closes on this unlikely companionship forged through shared grief, a quiet testament to the power of presence and shared ritual in the face of loss.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:22