Barn

Exceptional drama that, without fanfare, won the main Amanda awards in 2019, for best film, direction, screenplay, actor, supporting actor, cinematography, film editing, score and sound. With these credentials (plus the Nordic Film Council award for Best Film of the Year, with the highest cash prize known in all of world cinema), do watch this movie which, unhurriedly and with dramatic solidity, describes the crossing lines of life, alternatives and decision. Released in English-speaking countries as "Beware of Children", do not be fooled: these are not children of the corn, from Brazil, Rosemary's babies, Damiens or any other "alive" infant, but child victims of the world.

With a mobile football gate, in the middle of the playing field of a school in Oslo, which reappears on screen every so often as a leitmotiv, the story of «Children» unfolds for 157 minutes. One morning, during a break between classes, next to this football gate, Lykke, a 13-year-old girl, hits Jamie, a classmate of the same age, with her backpack, knocking him down and causing him to die accidentally. The girl will not get tired of repeating the same version: it was an accident, but nobody believes her. The circumstances are complex: Lykke is the daughter of a Labor Party leader, while Jamie's father is a far-right politician. In addition, the school principal maintains a secret relationship with the "neo-Nazi" politician; and her brother, a teacher, who was in charge of taking care of the children, was not present in the playing field when the events occurred, escorting a young and attractive intern.

Besides Lykke, the politician, the director and her teacher brother, several secondary characters are outlined with few but precise strokes, as an effective example of a contemporary society with great social advances, which debates the prospects of the future, with a central objective: the education of children. Making a film on this subject is not an easy task and making it enjoyable is a more challenging exercise. Director-screenwriter Dag Johan Haugerud deals with the formative ethics of teachers and parents, the debate between "political correctness" and a less rigid education, without neglecting the human side, the conflicts of ideologies and dogmas interfering in the affections and the class rooms, with Lykke always at the center, affected by the evolution of events.

With excellent performances from the entire cast, the two actors that attracted me the most were Ella Overbye as Lykke and Thorbjorn Harr as the right-wing politician. She, on the one hand, plays a lucid, fragile and vulnerable young girl; and while he is effectively terrifying, when the most cruel and authoritarian side of the man wins over the fragility of the hurt father.

In my mind, the film deals with a Norwegian way of handling a difficult situation. Being av Swede, a neighbour of Norway, I think that the film is also relevant for my own country. In our countries, people in problematic situations try to be kind, try not to be too emotional, and try to avoid the crucial question. In the film, one of the teachers was expected to guard at the break at the moment when Lykke killed Jamie. He did not do that. That was, however, not revealed until the end of the film. This remarkable delay was a consequence of the non-confrontational way of communication between the people in the film. Another aspect was the handling of the very causes of events. Obviously, Lykke had hit Jamie in a way that resulted in his death. We do not learn in any detail how this implausible event could happen. The was obviously due to a lack of any serious investigation. That, in turn, was due to regard to Lykke as a person who still was a child. An investigation would not result in any legal action. In the film, many people felt guilt. Due to the lack of clear common understanding of what had happened some people felt guilt unnecessarily. And for those that had actually contributed, the guilt could not be resolved since it was no common understanding of what had happened. So in my understanding, the avoidant way of handing a difficult situation, more people will be left with unresolved guilt.

It was supposed to be a movie about a boy killed in a school accident, but when on minute 7 it is revealed that the boy is the son of a right-wing politician, it irreversibly turns into a fat leftist propaganda. The "nazi" father is, of course, blond and dumb, cruel even towards children and his primal grief is given far less screen time than the sophisticated one of the boy's gay teacher. His righteous complaint about the fact that on his memorial his boy is not praised for who he was, but for how the others benefited from him is made sound like a cheap political speech. We also don't see the boy himself except on one picture, so for the rest 2 hours and a half it's the tender feelings, the self-reflectiveness, and the civilized discussions of the politically correct people that are in focus. "If you are dating someone from the right wing party, that's a problem. But if you are gay, that's fine. If only our parents had been like that, Gunnar." - says a cute old lady chirpingly, obviously failing to notice that there's no difference.

Watched this movie at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and was blown away about how funny and interesting it was. I thought the topic was so dark that it would be a sad movie, but rather on the contrary it was full of humour. I can not reccomend it enough. The movie is in Norwegian but the Italian translation was perfect. I can not wait to see this movie again! Could not reccommend enough!

Warmly recommend this film for everybody who is interested in questions about modern school and children-teachers parents relationships. Politically and socially engaging and perfectly balanced drama