The Kid and the Clown

Angus works two days a week in the children's oncology department of Skejby Sygehus, one of the largest academic hospitals in Denmark. He is neither a nurse nor a doctor, but a clown. He tries to get the children laughing, immersed as they are in a world of injections, drips and chemo treatments. One of these children is six-year-old Tobias. This powerfully personal documentary brings to the screen a year and a half in the hospital lives of Tobias and Angus. Their experiences provide a glimpse into the daily goings-on in this remarkable hospital department, where high points and low points sometimes alternate in very rapid succession. While Tobias struggles with his cancer, Angus battles against the fear and despair that strikes many children and their parents over the course of the intensive treatments. Angus is convinced that humor increases the chance of the treatment's success, but he also acknowledges that these young patients are absolutely alone in their confrontation with their life-threatening disease. For Tobias, in any case, Angus's presence seems to be very meaningful, and the relationship that grows between them produces touching moments.