A story about the clash between personal desires, solidarity and tolerance in a Danish commune in the 1970s.
Erik, a lecturer in architecture, inherits his father's large old house in Hellerup, north of Copenhagen. His wife Anna, a well-known television newscaster, suggests that they invite their friends to come live with them. In this way she hopes to evade the boredom that has seeped into their marriage. Before long, a dozen women, men, and children move into the country house, make collective decisions, engage in discussions, and go swimming together in the nearby Øresund strait. They also rub one another up the wrong way on account of their smaller and larger idiosyncrasies. Their fragile equilibrium threatens to come undone when Erik falls in love with his student Emma and the young woman moves into the house. Erik and Anna's 14-year-old daughter Freja aloofly observes these goings-on and seeks her own way.—AnonymusB
Filmen 'Kollektivet' følger akademikerparret Erik og Anna, der etablerer et kollektiv nord for København i årene 1975-85. De tager deres datter Freja med, og drømmen om et ægte fællesskab med husmøder, fri kærlighed og sammenhold vokser.
Men da Eriks elskerinde flytter ind begynder dynamikken at skride, og en afslutning på en epoke nærmer sig.
Thomas Vinterberg instruerer filmen, der er løst baseret på et teaterstykke af samme navn, som han også har skrevet.
