Man tänker sitt

I saw this today, at the Norwegian Film Festival here in Haugesund, Norway. I don't mean to step on any toes, and I really do not mean to disrespect any of the people involved in this movie, but it was total rubbish.

The hour and sixteen minutes seemed like four long hours, and several people left during the screening. At one point I was convinced that the problem had to me - that I just didn't get it, or something - but my opinion was the consensus among all the people I spoke to directly after.

As the credits started to appear when it was over, someone on the row behind me said "thank god!" and I had to agree.

Even though I don't understand it, I accept that there might be a market for movies like this out there, and I suppose a film festival would be the place to find it, but that alone won't keep me from speaking my mind.

I was desperately waiting for this to turn into some kind of Scandinavian version of Falling Down (with Michael Douglas,) but it didn't. Instead it made you, the viewer, desperate for the thing to end - and had you just on the edge of seriously considering something bad to have it do so.

A more tedious flick is hard to find. In fact - I bet you can't.

A child's voice comment is quoting Thoureau many times and it's pretty obvious what it is about: Civilization criticism with the villa area in a Swedish small town as the target. But of course it's supposed to be directed towards all the societies we've created, with their inhuman demands.

And it's rather clever done. You meet the young man with the little son, who doesn't have his own key to his parents' house. You meet another young man, who under the surface seems to be terrorized by his father, to live up to the conditions in the surroundings. And you meet this little boy, who kindly refuses to be the way his mother wants.

They are surrounded by the freedom in the woods, but the conclusions we're supposed to make are a little too easy. But of course credit goes to the slow tempo, which is really daring.

I liked this movie. I do react to people who say its rubbish and so on, thats quite narrow minded. but its fair to say its not for everybody. Its not meant for everybody either though.

If you can't stand movies that are different, just stay away. But If you have the taste for movies that tries different things, explores a different kind of filmmaking and are a bit more open than the average movie you see, which I do, this is really a movie to check out.

The movies is centered around a neighborhood, and an 11 year old boy who is narrating whats going on to some degree. There's a handful of characters we follow, and what they have in common is that they seem to be outcasts in some kind of way. The neighborhood in their small mindedness judge them, even though they are not really that different.

The film seems documentary-ish in its filming, more observing situations than really trying to tell what is going on. All the characters seems to end up wandering through nature. To me it seemed like the nature is a symbol for what they were going through in life.. They getting stuck in the mud, the father and the baby going into "deep water", and so on.

Its really one of those movies you can end up discussing with a friend for ages, while trying to figure out what the movie really tries to say. That is a good thing, and should be acclaimed.

On the downside? Well, I don't know. Not all the scenes were just as engaging, although I guess the movie kind of tried to portray a pretty boring and judgmental neighborhood.

I give this thumbs up. If you sense this is the kind of movie you'd like, I'd see it. Definitely.