Die Souffleuse

The Prompter is an engaging, well paced but flawed Norwegian drama. The nuanced performance by Hege Schoyen has been recognized with awards at film festivals in Europe and America.The milieu of the opera is appropriately recreated and incorporated into the plot. Verdi's music is always a refined pleasure. What keeps this film from achieving greatness is a major flaw in the script.

Siv's fiancee is too insensitive and unsympathetic to make her decision to leave him a difficult one. There is no ambiguity and little tension. Writer/director Hilde Heier makes it too easy for the audience to root for the tuba player. Still, there are plenty of reasons to recommend The Prompter to opera buffs and those looking for good romantic drama. 7/10

This is a story about relational complexities, experienced by Siv, a prompter for the opera AIDA which she is rehearsing. "Complexities", because she is stuck in a web of important changes in her life due to her marriage to a just divorced doctor who shares custody over two kids. She slowly loses grip on the situation, unable to fit into the household that still feels the presence of her husband's ex-wife. An Idyll gets broken and her relation with both mothers and with the new man (a tuba-player for the opera) coming in her life make the confusion complete. She even starts losing the intense passion she found in her work, in music. Her decay is tragically symbolized by the psychosomatic vomiting of which she suffers and by her failure during the performance of the opera. The end of the movie is open, answering "i don't know" on the question of the tuba-player where she will go now. Apparently, she chooses to go with him. Different relational theme's in the story are very recognizable. The subtle role of the opera and the good acting makes this a wonderful psychological drama, in which you experience very closely the feelings of decay, uncertainty, confusion...and finally of "love"?

This film just screened at the Santa Barbara Film Festival to packed houses, and we were lucky enough to have both director and star participate in a Q&A. I loved this story of a woman's passion for music and how she must learn to demand from her life the same intense connection she finds in her work as a prompter for the opera. The film focuses on Siv, who is rehearsing for a production of AIDA at the same time she is preparing to marry a divorced father who shares custody of two kids. The backstage rehearsal and performance scenes are well-scripted and filmed, as are the struggles Siv experiences to fit into a household that still feels the presence of her new husband's ex. A great film debut by a fine theatre director, and an irresistible performance by the leading actress/singer, a renowned comedienne

This movie is about a woman named Siv who works at the towns Operahouse. She is getting ready to be married, but actually she is not totally satisfied with her life which is more and more filled with complications. At the same time one of her male collegues is showing interest for her. This movie is down to earth, warm and just a nice experience. My rating: 9/15