Norwegian Dream

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.

Coming out stories have become a staple of LGBTQ+ cinema over the years, and, through the years, these offerings have increasingly come to distinguish themselves by incorporating greater and more specific details about the circumstances under which these tales unfold. Adding such context has significantly helped these films establish themselves as stories that go beyond being works of fundamentally basic gay-themed cinema. However, by including these additional narrative elements, it's become incumbent on the creators of these pictures to seek to harmoniously integrate these supplemental aspects into their stories to make them more complete offerings. Such appears to have been the intent behind director Leiv Igor Devold's third feature outing, the story of a closeted laborer (Hubert Milkowski) who leaves his native Poland to take a job in Norway, hoping that he'll find a more tolerant way of life compared to the bigoted attitudes prevalent in his homeland. Upon arrival, however, he finds adjustment difficult, partly because he's unaccustomed to his newfound freedom and partly because of other challenges faced by immigrant workers, such as the bald-faced disrespect often inflicted on them, issues related to the difficulty involved in union organizing and seeking ways to balance his life in Norway with that of relatives back in Poland. All of these story threads have merit, too, but this release struggles to find an effective degree of integration, prompting the narrative to frequently wander as if lost in the Scandinavian woods. That's unfortunate, given that all the makings of an engaging story are present here, but they never quite gel into a cohesive whole, leaving viewers wondering exactly what the filmmaker and script writers were ultimately going for. Granted, the film shines a bright light on the widely held illusion of a "Norwegian dream," one that sadly seems to mirror its equally illusory American counterpart, but, that consideration aside, this tale ultimately raises more questions than it answers, leaving viewers as unsatisfied as its disillusioned protagonist. Indeed, staying put might not be the wisest decision for someone in need of making a change, but then an alleged panacea might not be the answer either. As ambitious as it might be to try to convey that notion cinematically, some things just don't work out in the end, as this film illustrates.

First off Hubert Milkowski is a first rate actor, and hopefully Poland is proud to have him. In this excellent film he plays a young man Robert who has decided to leave Poland after a traumatic attack of gay bashing. The scene where he relates this to his lover, a young black man is deeply moving. Robert is working and badly paid for it in a fish processing plant. His lover is the owner's son. No spoilers but he goes through many compromises, both in his relationship with his lover and the work force around him. The passionate scenes are well shot, but do not fall into the too easy gay film trope of showing totally explicit sexuality. Erotic they are, intercut with Robert totally dressed in a daydream lying happily in the countryside his body relaxed looking fulfilled. This is in contrast to his tense and closeted self among the factory workers and even at the beginning with his future lover. In my opinion Polish film has come a long way since Polanski's ' Knife in the Water ' and Wajda. It deals with homophobia and racism, and this in itself is brave coming out of a Lodz trained director. It is expertly directed, with perfectly cast actors and it has its ambiguities which is not a negative thing. It is as complex as life itself. A deserved ten.

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!

'Norwegian Dream' touches lots of topical issues that could have developed much further and potentially controversial - immigrant workers and exploitation of them, homophobia in Poland, an adopted black son who performs in drag, seemingly open but in fact rather hypocritical attitude of Norwegians in regard of the above issues... It could have been especially a great opportunity to tell the story from the Polish immigrant worker's point of view (as opposed to in British or German pop culture where Polish plumber/painter/farm hand/cleaner/etc are treated as a footnote or a background). When Poland is deemed soon surpass UK and Germany's economic indicators and yet its politics on its regressive path (of rising homophobia and xenophobia, for example), the film could have been a timely comment and a self-reflection... But unfortunately none of it really develops beyond a mere predictable dramatic device, while the drama itself (namely Roberto's emotional struggle and romance) also fails to go truly deep and touching. There's nothing out of place or offensive. Actings are adequate, cinematography, editing, production value all delivers... It's all very watchable... but it lacks a punch, a surprise, a grip.

It's a pity that I would be remembering this film more as what it could have been than what it is.