Iben Hjejle brings a grounded, clear-sighted presence to comedy, often opposite men allowed considerably more foolishness. We value her naturalism, though High Fidelity shows how easily that strength can leave an actor short of jokes.
Fi1m perspective
In High Fidelity (2000), Iben Hjejle's Laura has to make herself heard in a film that would generally rather listen to Rob. Her grounded presence helps us take the romance seriously while John Cusack's character takes his own feelings seriously enough for everyone. Hjejle is good at playing the clear-sighted counterpart without making the contrast feel forced. We rate that naturalism, especially in comedies where the men get most of the attention. The difficulty is how easily a screenplay can leave her with little else to do.
The early move into English-language films followed Mifune's Last Song (1999), her breakthrough in Dogme 95. Stephen Frears brought her into High Fidelity, but the work that followed was not simply a succession of international parts. Danish comedy remained important, including Klovn and Langt fra Las Vegas alongside Casper Christensen. Lars von Trier's The Boss of It All (2006) belongs to that comic strand, while the crime series Dicte (2013–2016) gave her a sustained lead. That is a more useful way to look at her work than treating Laura as a promise of bigger English-language roles.
The limitation in High Fidelity is chiefly in the writing, not in Hjejle's capacity to hold our interest. Cusack, D.V. DeVincentis, Scott Rosenberg and Steve Pink give Rob plenty of room to expose his faults, and much less comic space to Laura. We were frustrated by that imbalance because her grounded performance makes us want the film to spend more time with her. It remains a funny, perceptive romance that we recommend warmly.
What we would welcome is a screen role that lets her cause more of the trouble. Being convincing as the sensible person should not amount to a permanent assignment. High Fidelity makes a persuasive case for her ability to keep a romantic comedy believable, even while denying her an equal share of its fun. For a longer acquaintance with her work in a leading part, try Dicte.
Biography
Iben Hjejle is a Danish actress. She trained at Statens Teaterskole in Copenhagen, graduating in 1996.
She gained attention for her role in the Dogme 95 film Mifune's Last Song (1999), for which she received an Honourable Mention at the Berlin International Film Festival. She played Laura opposite John Cusack in High Fidelity (2000). Other notable credits include Flickering Lights (2000), The Boss of It All (2006), Defiance (2008) and Chéri (2009), as well as Danish television series such as Langt fra Las Vegas, Klovn and Dicte.
