Terkel in Trouble

Sixth-grade student at a Danish secondary school who develops paranoia as threats surface around him. He spends recess on a bench with his best friend Jason and is drawn into a web of fear, loyalty, and guilt after a classmate's suicide. His decisions reveal a fragile moral compass and a struggle to protect others while seeking safety.

Terkel's best friend, who carries an iron pipe and becomes part of the shifting dynamics when threats emerge. Their bond is tested as fear, suspicion, and rivalries creep into their friendship after Dorit’s death. Jason's reactions illuminate themes of loyalty and the pressure to choose sides.

A man in a green sweater who quietly manipulates events and crafts the threats as revenge for the spider incident. He pursues Terkel through the woods, culminating in a violent confrontation and an ambiguous fate. His presence hangs over the story as the personification of fear and manipulation.

Former teacher of Terkel who is killed by a car, triggering the arrival of a substitute teacher and unsettling changes in the classroom. Her death becomes a catalyst for the school's social upheaval and the characters' coping strategies.

A classmate who bullies Terkel along with Saki, then maneuvers for protection and standing as new loyalties form after the tragedy. His actions reflect the shifting power dynamics within the group.

One of the bullies who participates in the intimidation, contributes to the tension surrounding Dorit's death, and later interacts with the changing social order. Through Saki, the film explores cycles of aggression and retaliation.

Overweight classmate who sends Terkel a love letter; taunting and romance complications precede her suicide, which reverberates through the class and redefines relationships.

Volatile, alcoholic grand-uncle who confronts the bullies and becomes entangled in the violent confrontation that drives the climax. His actions add a harsh, unpredictable edge to the film's social landscape.

A new presence that reshapes the dynamics between Terkel and Jason as the story progresses, injecting shifts in trust and power.

A hockey-mask-wearing narrator who occasionally tries to wrap the tale in a moral, but struggles to remember the exact takeaway. The meta commentary adds distance between memory and truth.

Terkel's mother, who participates in the family dynamic and appears during the wedding, contributing to the film's exploration of what happens when family life changes.