Norwegian Dream

Norwegian Dream

Once you got through the bleak and miserable setting this movie came together in a fairly decent way.

Some of the basic propositions stretched credulity, these workers have come from Poland to Norway to earn money that they cannot earn in Poland. This means you have to put up with a lot to establish a life and get on, and thus it was so. The whinging and moaning about everything is not consistent with getting on.

It is a bizarre story line that Ivar keeps pushing Robert to come out of the closet and/or acknowledge him in public when surely just to have met someone be having fun together is the main thing. To be revealed in this place and at that time would have been the end of everything.

We had some committed acting however subtitles always make things seem more profound than they are. Robert is 19 I can't see the need for the script to rush his story it didn't add anything.

I'm giving this a 6 outta 10 I was well worth watching.

This movies tries to cover too many stories, all being loosely strung together by the story of two central characters. It does not work. The script lacks continuity and context and assumes that viewers know about the exploitation and mistreatment of Polish workers in the Norwegian fishing industry. Nothing is explained and the choppy editing doesn't help explain much. The acting is really bad and one gets the impression that the producer hurries the plot and narrative along before the funding runs out. Overall, it could have been better if time were taken to explain the event and the movie did not try to cover so many extraneous events that have little to do with the central plot!

This is a short review without any spoilers. Director Leiv Igor Devold's Norwegian Dream is a powerful feature film that challenges Norwegian audiences to see Norway from an outsider's perspective. The film revolves around young and queer individuals, vulnerability, and what it means to be an outsider. It balances these themes successfully and raises important questions while hinting at answers. The film also explores the tension between traditional masculinity and queerness, as well as the conflicts arising from national and social boundaries. Norwegian Dream is an impressive film with a strong message. Well done to everyone involved in the production! Definitely worth a watch!

Somewhat running from gaybashing in his homophobic Poland, Robert goes to Norway, learning to work at a fish processing plant, sharing a room in a worker dormitory. He meets co-worker Ivar, who is also the adopted son of the owner, and an aspiring drag artist. Robert's upbringing and experience has him running hot and cold towards Ivar.

Things get complicated when Robert's mother arrives, fleeing debts left behind in Poland, and without immediate employment prospects. Given that the migrant workers have employment and rental contracts that they hardly understand, and are to their disadvantage, a union signs them up, to demand a better collective agreement. As they head towards a strike, the owner makes Robert an offer he can't refuse.

I saw this at the Inside Out film festival, with "Robert" in attendance, and he verified that the situation in Poland was not good for LGBT folks. The situation in the plant was interesting, as was the pressures of running a medium-sized business.

While the scenery was nice, I didn't find a lot of chemistry between the 2 principals, and in some ways the script had omissions, including the characters not communicating well. So this is OK but not great.

I could watch Hubert Milkowski in just about anything and he doesn't disappoint here! This story explores an immigrant's experiences in a bleak and dreary setting in Norway gutting and slicing fish all day long. He's the sole bread winner in his home, a troubled relationship with his mother, and his burgeoning sexual awakening for a black queer man. While both actors did a great job, Hubert's facial features and forlorn looks truly brought something "extra" to this film. I'm truly happy to see this new wave to gay storytelling across racial, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic lines. This film is worth a watch.