Elling

This has to be one of the best films from Norway that I've ever seen. OK, so it's the first film from Norway that I've ever seen, but it is a great movie. Very uplifting and heartwarming, yet the characters are very interesting and believable unlike many movies out there these days. And a quick reply to Andrés M. Rais who felt that this movie was "feel-good propaganda". Sorry if life isn't always great, in fact most of the time it just plain sucks. But that is why we watch movies. If you go into every movie expecting bad endings and horrible things to happen all the time, because that is how you feel life is, you need to re-examine your view on life (maybe get some Prozac too). Go rent a documentary about genocide, famine, and global warming, and keep your negative comments to yourself please. Almost every other comment on this site has been positive, so if you are trying to decide whether or not to watch this movie, just ignore Andrés.

BTW: If you liked the movie Amelie, you will probably like this movie (also, if you liked this movie, you will probably like Amelie :).

A comedy masterpiece. Sometimes tragic but more often outrageously funny, this wonderful tale of two mentally challenged outcasts caught me fully unprepared.

There wasn't a single face without a wide grin in the audience after this film. An amazing script, fantastic actors: this was the feel-good movie of 2001. 9 stars out of 10.

In case you're interested in more underrated masterpieces, here's some of my favorites:

imdb.com/list/ls070242495

Greetings again from the darkness. Can't say I ever remember seeing a film from Norway, but this is a delightful, charming, touching little film that most people will find entertaining. Two grown men are released from a state home and set-up in their own apartment in Oslo. Watching their somewhat torturous adjustment to "normal" life is both painful and amusing. Lead character, Elling, stumbles upon his innate talent of writing poetry, but his fear of recognition forces him to be quite creative in finding his audience. Roommate Kjel is a sweaty mechanic with a heart of gold and stated desire to meet girls. Their journey is intertwined with guidance from a previously famous writer, their social case worker, and a pregnant neighbor. Many laughs throughout, but also a nice message. Go ahead ... answer the phone.

In a world of big blockbuster movies, it is wonderful to know that there are still films like "Elling"--even if it is subtitled from Norwegian. The interactions between the characters throughout the film require superb acting and they get it. Elling and Kjell Bjarne who are mentally re-acclimating to society live together and play off of each other's quirks evoking comedy and sympathy in a fine balance. Kjell Bjarne, a large slob, and Elling, a fragile man suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder and removal anxiety from his mother, evoke laughter and sympathy. It is a pity that films like "Elling" are so rare compared to the huge-budget monstrosities we call entertainment. Films like "Elling" bring the art back into film-making.

For me, this is one of the real highlight's of the Cambridge Film Festival 2002. A beautiful, moving, funny, and heartwarming film that manages to avoid any cheap sentimentality. Elling is a middle-aged man who once lived an isolated existence with his mother, but is taken into an institution when his mother dies. The film follows his progress in coming to terms with the world. Per Christian Ellefsen gives a stunning performance as Elling. A must see movie.