Character Relationship Map: This Charming Man

Characters

• Lars Hansen/El Hassan (played by Martin Buch) — protagonist

  Protagonist whose application papers are mistakenly mixed with an immigrant's. He attends a Danish class instead of job training and assumes the immigrant's identity to prevent the teacher from losing...

• Ida (played by Camilla Bendix) — supporting

  An attractive Danish teacher whose employment depends on the attendance of a specific immigrant student. Her potential job loss serves as the catalyst for the protagonist's deception.

• Omid (played by Farshad Kholghi) — supporting
• Niels (played by Martin Hestbæk) — supporting
• Pelle (played by Michel Castenholt) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Omid → Pelle (Professional Employer And Employee) — Pelle first rejects Omid on discriminatory grounds, then employs him; Omid’s machinery skills prove valuable at the press.

  Pelle’s press initially turns Omid down because of his name, but Omid eventually gets work there and proves valuable with machinery.

• Lars Hansen/El Hassan → Pelle (Professional Employee And Employer) — Pelle gives Lars temporary work at the press; Lars later challenges Pelle’s discriminatory hiring decision and argues that Omid deserves a chance.

  Lars takes temporary work at Pelle’s printing press and learns to operate its machinery. He later confronts Pelle over refusing to hire Omid because o...

• Lars Hansen/El Hassan → Ida (Complicated Romantic Interest) — Lars seeks to reconnect with Ida and develops feelings for her, but his mistaken identity and unwanted attempts to help create conflict. Their final conversation leaves the relationship unresolved.

  Lars recognizes Ida as a former schoolmate, calls to ask her for coffee, and tries to help with her teaching assignment. Ida keeps her distance, tells...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lars Hansen/El Hassan → Niels (Conflict Physical Adversaries) — Lars is injured in a violent confrontation involving Niels and a group of immigrants; the account does not specify further details of their conflict.

  The plot describes a violent confrontation involving Niels and a group of immigrants, after which Lars is injured.

• Lars Hansen/El Hassan → Omid (Alliance Advocate And Beneficiary) — Lars advocates for Omid’s employment, helping him obtain a chance to demonstrate his mechanical ability at the press.

  When Pelle turns Omid down because of his name, Lars confronts Pelle and argues that Omid deserves the opportunity. Omid eventually gets work at the p...

Story Analysis

An unemployed accountant is caught in an identity mix-up that complicates his work, exposes his prejudice, and strains his attempt to reconnect with Ida.

Plot Progression

1. A Job and a Familiar Face — After two years without work, Lars accepts temporary employment at Pelle's press. There he unexpectedly encounters Ida and tries to reopen their connection.
2. Mistaken Identity — An administrative error sends Lars to Danish classes despite his fluency. The mistaken assumption angers him, while his prejudice damages his interaction with Ida.
3. Work and Interference — Lars challenges Pelle's rejection of Omid, who eventually earns work at the press through his machinery skills. Lars also intervenes in Ida's teaching situation, creating more conflict between them.
4. Injury and Honest Possibility — A violent confrontation involving Niels leaves Lars injured. After hearing that Ida has returned, Lars speaks with her about being himself, and their future remains unresolved.