Sofies Welt

Sophie's World is such a heavy handed philosophical discourse that it comes off almost more like an educational video than a film. It has a simple, made-for-TV feel, probably just because of the way it was filmed, but that seems to fit with the theme of a young girl exploring the mysteries of the universe. She is your everyday Norwegian school girl type, except that she has been receiving mysterious notes in her mail box which force her to re- analyze everything she thought she knew about reality, the world, and even who she is. She is inspired by great thinkers.

Sophie is presented as a girl with more going on in her mind than her classmates (which are mostly represented by the astonishingly stupid boys that pop up every once in a while), which may be why she was "chosen" to receive the mysterious notes. She begins to believe that there has to be more to her than just a name and a body, but she gets no help when she talks to her mother, who is a realist and doesn't really believe in or have time for all that philosophical nonsense. Sophie's favorite show is called The Mystery Hour, so already her mind is eager to have something to work on.

Through a variety of ways, Sophie finds herself looking back in time to the time of Socrates and Plato, when the powers that be were sadly trying to eradicate all critical thought. There is a frightening scene where Socrates, possibly the greatest thinker of all time, is forced to drink poison, just before which he says, "It's easy to escape death, you just run away. It's much harder to escape wickedness" This is absolutely true, and it's sad to think that that was not the only time independent thought was so cruelly oppressed. It still happens today.

The time travel itself is pretty cheesy, but it's just something that the viewer has to understand as taking place – it's not as important as what is found after it's done. This is not, after all, a time travel movie. It's not even really science fiction. It's Philosophical Criticism 101. And by the way, I love the scene where Sophie and her pink haired friend are watching a shockingly bad American movie. Clearly the movie is so awful because it was just filmed to be put in this one, but I hope that's not a subconscious comment on the quality of American film!

And like all good philosophy courses, I'm not really sure what to think about a lot of the movie. My mind was full of questions after I watched it, although I should mention that some of the questions that the movie calls attention to are things that I've wondered about many times before, but usually only in passing. I've wondered, for example, what other person looks more like me than anyone else. If you could somehow search through every person who has ever lived, there will be one person who looks more like you than anyone else, and I'm sure the resemblance would be astonishing. There is a scene with a mirror that suggests that it is a completely different person looking back.

Overall, the movie encourages philosophical thought, urging you to remember that it is through philosophy that we will find the answers to our questions about the basic human condition. The movie asserts that we are, in fact, in control, and that things don't 'just happen.' Things happen because someone makes them happen. The future is determined by the present.

It's ironic that this movie should teach us that people spend so much time being entertained that, ultimately, we end up acting out our own lives, and the line between truth and fiction becomes more and more blurred, which eventually diminishes freedom of thought. The movie tells us that oppression of free thought led to the execution of Socrates, one of the world's great thinkers, which is a massive indictment of totalitarianism. Ironic that the movie should use film as the medium to deliver the message the too much entertainment dulls free thought.

But then again, as they say, the medium IS the message

I had not read the book, but was (and am) very curious about it. Seeing the film would hopefully tell me if I would like the book. Well, I am going to buy and read it as soon as I can now! I absolutely loved the film. It was beautifully shot, well acted and the story didn't feel at all like just a book made into a film! The story was engrossing and thorough, even though not all the philosophers were included and only a short introduction was given to what they represented. It made me wanting more, but did not leave a sense of something truly lacking. At several points my mouth was hanging open in awe: I did not expect a Norwegian film to look this stunning. Especially the images of Sofie and Alberto going back in time were breathtaking (did much of the budget go into computer imaging?). Anyone who has the chance: don't miss out on this gem!

O.K. No one really expected a film to portray in a few hours what Gaarder painstakingly created in his bestselling novel, but this film doesn't even come close to capturing the essence of Sofie's philosophical journey through adolescence.

The amateurish efforts of some of the cast distracts one's attention from the extremely simplified storyline. Will probably appeal to kids but we adults should stick to the book. Might I suggest a BBC television production? Perhaps a ten part series with professional actors and more subtlety. A big budget is, (contrary to popular convention), not as necessary as it may seem for the modern film-maker. Despite being the "biggest" and "most expensive" Norwegian film ever made, "Sofies Verden", is, unfortunately, far from being the best.

If you want a quick peak into the world of philosophy, Sofies verden should be the perfect choice for you. The film makers have made a lot out of a very difficult and complex book, and the cast is OK, although certainly not fantastic. See it, be puzzled, and discuss the different philosophical questions raised in the movie with a good friend. It may not make you want to applaud, but it does make you think!

A while ago, I started reading a Dutch translation of Sophie's World. While I got only as far as its treatment of Kant and Hume, I was amazed by its capacity to provide a chronological overview of Western philosophy in a way that's accessible for teenagers and adults with a limited philosophical background.

Combining a mystery story with the history of philosophy and using clever examples to illustrate new philosophical insights, the book really managed to stimulate one's curiosity for what came next while at the same time offering some very interesting information.

As I started reading other books and spending my time on other activities, I stopped reading the book in spite of my curiosity. Owning a copy of the movie version, I figured I could just as well finish the story by watching the movie.

Boy oh boy, was that a mistake. The movie just didn't capture either the atmosphere or the intent of the book. The actors were poorly casted and the plot was shopped up and rehashed so amateurishly it left only very little of the philosophical depth of the book.

The movie was confusing, superficial and downright insulting to one of the greatest introductory works to the world of philosophy ever written. I found no redeeming qualities in this movie and highly recommend everyone to skip it and just read the book instead.

It is a cliché that movies based on books tend to be not nearly as good as the book. This movie doesn't just confirm that cliché. It's a caricature of that cliché.