Arhus by Night is something of a turning point in Malmros' filmography: it is his first work that is not only inspired by his own experiences and observations, but is actually a reflection of his life in, with, through and for the cinema: it is thus also a very subtle attempt - in the guise of a robustly rustic comedy - about his extremely ambivalent relationship to what is called factual truth.
Frederik, the auteur at the center of Arhus by Night, is not Malmros, even if the film he is shooting is strongly reminiscent of Boys (Drenge, 1977). In reality, Malmros was (finally) able to realize some scenes from his earlier work in a way that he didn't (dare to) at the time (above all: a chase scene with naked nurses). Frederik is a kind of parallel Nils - a Malmros who also existed, but not in this situation. Perhaps you could say that after the child death catastrophe, Malmros wanted to think about how he himself could have been different and how things should and may continue with cinema. Arhus by Night is thus a second debut and the first film in which he works more with professional actors than with amateurs.
