Fatso

Nils Jørgen Kaalstad (Sønner) is a great talent and does a good job in bringing the sexually frustrated and socially awkward 30-something Rino to life, but the film cannot match Kaalstad's authenticity. Writer/director Arild Frölich seems to want to make a film that challenges stereotypes and gets under the skin of his characters, but in trying to get there he clings desperately to the very same stereotypes. The film asks us to view the characters as real human beings, but doesn't treat them as such - they are pawns in a superficial examination of perceived settled social roles. And as a comedy, the film is hit and miss, mostly miss. Whenever Frölich feels he needs to lighten/spice things up, he adds a segment consisting of animated sperm. That doesn't really tell me anything about people like Rino, or others for that matter.

I finally saw this film a couple of days ago, having put it off due to middling reviews and a general lack of buzz. I was shocked to discover that not only did it work, it worked better than any Norwegian film I can remember seeing in the last few years. Granted, Norwegian film is in dire straits at the moment, rehashing dull formulas, making films out of every best-selling book regardless of how well it suits cinema or even works as a book. And yet the industry is in love with itself, regarding these times as some sort of golden age for our business. So let me just say that most movies chosen to prove that claim are nothing but mild versions of Fatso, and that if the business wants a flagship, here it is.

Like most Norwegian movies, the story concerns a sexually arrested man in an Oslo apartment whose main goal in life is to get laid. But unlike the cutesy characters usually presented, this guy is a monster. Only not. We get such uncensored glimpses of his sexual imagination that even as one laughs, one might also feel uncomfortable by the honesty with which his mind is presented. Especially since we all know that deep down we're not as far away from his thought processes as we imagine. The story is basically a repeat of the cinematic wave that made 1999 such a banner year for American cinema, exploring the male psyche and his place in modern society. Sure, not many women would want to sleep with, or get to know, this obese, inward-looking, one-track-mind person, but the filmmakers are fully committed to support his right to be fat, horny and in lust for companionship.

Everything he sees reminds him of sex, sometimes in very concrete ways, sometimes in more abstract ways and some times his mind wanders into combinations of childish superhero worship and universal needs. He is a lonely man who sits in his apartment eating, masturbating and subconsciously hating himself, until his father rents out a room in his large apartment to a sexy Swedish girl with issues of her own. Some see her character as underdeveloped, but we only see her from Rino's point of view, and there are enough moments of desperation in her story to suggest that the angst of the movie is universal, regardless of apparent status, looks and crowd. She doesn't need to be an angel or insanely smart because all Rino needs is someone, anyone, to see him, even if it is with disgust in their eyes.

The story takes us through Rino's journey out of his misery, but it only takes us so far, the filmmakers resisting the temptation to give us the American miracle-cure. The alterations he makes to his universe are things most of us could learn from, even if we're not in as deep a ditch as him. He goes from being an anti-hero to a hero in the traditional sense, trying anything to achieve his goals, while also displaying moral ambiguities that makes him tragically human. His relationship with his best friend is both hilarious and sad, the metaphors are direct and truthful, the way he sees the world has a twisted universality to it. Somehow a PERSON has found his way into a stylized comedy.

At it's core, this is not a movie about getting laid, losing weight, getting friends, status, cooler clothes or creative success, which are all goals the movie keeps open throughout. It's about seeing yourself in others. As he sees the tragedy beneath beautiful surfaces and beauty and humanity beneath ugly exteriors he keeps developing a sense of himself. And through discovering the human being in Rino, viewers who are honest with themselves may see their own lives in a slightly different light and walk out of the theaters as more of a person.

This concept could very well have portrayed an awkward fat nerd's struggle to become a real alpha man and Rino could very well have become every fat nerd's role model. I thought first the movie was aiming at this, but like most Norwegian movies, this movie has its unnecessary twists and turns to make the viewer not anticipate such ending and of course this has it's own shares of such.

I must say Nils Kaalstad starring Rino is one of the best performances EVER. He genuinely portrays a very awkward and ultra nerdy guy in such a realistic way that you actually feel he is one hell of a looser and almost forget this is a movie and not a documentary of such a douche. He actually grows eventually a bit more balls and it is amazing to see the gradual transformation of Rino. From extremely awkward to sometimes very charismatic, this actor knows how to deliver! Malin is Rinos new roommate and she does also a terrific job to portray a stupid Swedish blonde girl who likes to party and never takes responsibility for anything. Rino's best friend is Fillip who is often very abusive to him, but since Rino has no friends, I guess he has to take what he gets. It is also very interesting to see how this relation completely changes, once Rino grows some balls.

Rino also likes to draw cartoons, depicting his sexual frustration, which is kind of interesting concept even though they are quite immature and plain right stupid. This movie could have been "Rocky for nerds" and I think they should have taken it this direction, but this is a movie that is interesting and constantly surprises you and you do not know what direction it will take you and therefore it gets a 6.5/10 from me. It had great potential, but it is a fun movie nevertheless.

The movie is fun and calm, a beautiful story. The hero of the film excelled in his role, a brilliant actor , I like the movie

I saw this movie without any expectation that it would be good. But it turns out to be an artful and skillfully developed movie that is comical on the surface but carries deep down a tragic undertone. Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, who plays Rino, is a much better actor than first appears on screen. His acting is superb in subtle ways.

He plays an over-sexed nerd who is hooked onto pornography but has not developed the skills required to actually lure women to bed. His innate shyness and inexperience make him a lonely, socially (and sexually) ostracized person. But Rino has a good heart and is a kind and responsible person. The anecdotes on his translating "boring" user manuals of tools and widgets from the German to Norwegian is actually funny and very true-to-life. I know people who do such work for a living.

I can see that this movie may not appeal to viewers who don't not want to think. Rino's failure to live a "normal" sex life is a veiled condemnation of the dark side of Internet sex. Rino elicits sympathy. One hopes he will eventually finds the right woman who rescues him from the dungeon of cyber sex obsession. The movie is deeply honest and real-to-life.