Ut og stjæle hester

Every apparently unspectacular event, from the felling of a tree to the galloping of a restless horse, takes on a narrative value, a truly beautiful film

Watching movies at a festival has disadvantages. The second movie (or the next ones!) seen on the same day may catch you as a more tired spectator, or under the impression of the previous movie, or confused by the alternation of styles and genres. This is, perhaps, what happened to me watching the Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland's film 'Ut og stjæle hester' (or 'Out Stealing Horses'), a psychological drama with references to the relatively recent history, interestingly constructed, and benefiting from the participation of an excellent team of actors. And yet, although I really liked one of Moland's previous films ('In Order of Disappearance'), I was a little stuck watching this movie. The fault may be mine, but not only mine.

The story takes place in 1999, on the threshold of the millennium, that period exactly 20 years ago, when the entire planet was preparing for parties and was obsessed with the millennium bug. The main hero (the excellent Stellan Skarsgård) seems to be trying to run away from the world after he his wife had died in a traffic accident, buying a house in a village far from the turmoil of the world. It is precisely here that the past reaches him through the accidental encounter of a forgotten friend from adolescence. The film reconstructs through interleaved flashbacks the decisive summer of his coming to age, in the years immediately following the war that had left traces in people's souls and in the relationships between them. We progress in the remembrance of the past together with the old man. But how much of memory can be trusted after a lifetime has passed? Was the reality then known, understood, and especially as does it matter today?

The questions are interesting, but one of the problems of the film is that the scriptwriter (also Moland adapting a novel) and the director try to give them a little too explicit answer, along the lines of Buddhist philosophy. Another problem is the lack of dynamism in the evolution of the characters. The film is beautifully filmed and played brilliantly (by Skarsgård, but also by the young actor who plays him as a teenager, and by the whole team), and yet 'Out Stealing Horses' failed to captivate me, introduce me to the story, involve me. The distance between me and Scandinavia, its history, its people and problems, has not been completely eliminated in this film.

I did not have expectations to the movie, as I started reading the book once, and put it down after reading not too long, finding it not to my taste. It seems I should have continued reading. The movie is in any case rare in story and filming. Soft, thrilling, surprising, intriguing worth watching. A beautiful movie to watch. Reminds me of movies like the cider house rules, the emigrants (innvandrarna/utvandrarna) and Pelle Erobreren.

My sincere Thanks for this magic and deep movie to the film director, the actors, all entire team and producing company. I'm very grateful and happy that I got to see this movie live in the cinema in my own language. I am grateful to the film director and the all entire team. I'm not sure if this movie is for everyone. Perhaps only a mature, artistic or life experienced person can sense and understand it. I was involved and lulled like listening to poem, orchestra or lullaby from the very first to the last second, the scene, the view, the sound .. I wanted it to last longer ... And the movie still leaves in me.. Left threads.. Each tiny sound, angle, moment, view, actors, acting.. resonated within me. It felt like Director is playing the strings in me, touches, hits each hidden moment, emotion, living in me. Amazing camera, sound and others job. Amazing actors, amazing acting, high level art . Each made me feel wanna cry from amazing "job" done. And I didn't care actually about the story line too much this time. My opinion, it's not the point about this movie. I went out uplifted, deeply touched and the movie stayed within me... with me. Like a very very close and intimate friend. Thank you from Lithuania.

Out stealing horses (Ut å stjæle hester) is a very careful adaption of the very successful novel with the same name by Norwegian author Per Petterson, a novel which have solid millions in at least 50 languages. The film won the silver bear in The Berlin International film Festival.

Let this be said up front: if you're not up to watching a slow storytelling, and not able to sense the small and careful waves of air, glimmers of sun and the wet sensation of rain woven into the nostalgia here, this film will not be for you. You need to be completely at ease when watching, otherwise the film will feel very slow.

Hans Petter Moland has made a film true to the poetic and nostalgic tone of the book, which tells the story about a newly pensioned man, in grieve after the loss of his wife, moving out in the remote countryside, not too far from where he have had childhood memories. The he randomly meets a neighbor which he realizes he must have known some 50 years back. This brings back a lot of forgotten memories from the past. Memories of fondness and great tragedy.

The film is slo and thoughtful, with a stark nostalgic thread, but also a tiny fracture of humor. The film is very sensible, with a lot of thoughts put into photography, with pictures of grass and wind. The film is narrated by the mans telling voice, which in this case adds to the feeling of storytelling. A work of art of a film!