Detektor

When people think of European cinema they almost immediately will think of Spain or France, but have you ever thought of the Scandinavian countries as being a source of good and interesting movies? You probably already heard of Ingmar Bergman and the Dogme rules, but there are more Scandinavians who know how to make a good movie. The Norwegian Pål Jackman (I admit that he was a complete stranger to me as well) has made with "Detektor" a very enjoyable and intelligent comedy / drama. I really hope he'll make more movies in the near future.

This movie is about two friends who have only one thing in common. Daniel is 28 years old, still lives with his mother and works as a psychiatrist. His friend Ronny lives on his own and has his own radio station (if you can call it that) called 'Radio Illegal. Both share the passion for walking around with a metal detector, searching for some valuables in the ground. One day they find a little jewel with the name Janne engraved in it. Because Daniel wants to give it back to its rightful owner, he makes Ronny announce it on the radio. Soon a woman reacts and she comes to collect the jewel. Meeting her changes Daniel's life completely and eventually he'll find out a lot of hidden secrets about his life and the lives of the ones that he loves.

The story is good and has some surprising twists to offer. The acting is certainly more than just OK and the same can be said about the humor, although I don't know if it will always be understood by people who don't know much about Scandinavia (For instance the jokes about the Laps or Sami). Personally I really enjoyed this movie and I give it an 8/10.

I must be the only non-Scandinavian to have written a comment about this movie, which I caught at the Montreal International Film Festival. Reading the synopsis in the programme made me think it'd be some kind of drama with a light touch of humour, but it turned out to be the reverse! A comedy with some drama. Actually, a movie which manages to mix in some violence, comedy, a twist plot, police mystery, a bit of sex and a love story over all that! The last one which I saw which succeeded in doing that was von Trier's "The Kingdom".

True, this movie will not change your life and make you ponder for hours over it, but for me it was certainly a great change and relief from the overload of typical North American/Hollywood stuff (to be polite) that we get here. I can't stand "American Pie" anymore. Or "Ally McBeal". Etc...

It was also very refreshing to see some other kind of humour (too bad I don't speak Norwegian for I'm sure I missed some major subtleties), another language, and new faces of actors/actresses. I think Mads Ousdal did a great job of playing Daniel, the quiet/sweet psychologist, and loved Ronny and his Radio-Illegal program! Also liked the satanist, Jorgen... :)

A movie to see! (I will see it again before it pulls out forever from N.A. screens)

Best Norwegian movie ever!!! I can watch it over and over again!!

It's dogs barried every were... What's the secret his over protective-mum is hiding from him... It's Daniels father alive or not??? His been told all is live that he died in China, but is this true?? Daniel is a pshycologhist... one day a man who is sick of cancer came to visit him...

The film is in itself an interesting phenomena. The media and the public (in Norway) has been screaming on about how the Norwegian film industry needs a change, and a long comes a film that definitely stands for something new and is thus widely accepted and celebrated, even though the story has obvious faults (but people seemed to get a kick out of it, simply because it was something different).

The film revolves around the 28 years-old psychiatrist, Daniel Jor, who lives with his dominant mother, and spends an alarming amount of time searching for lost things with a metal detector (which reflects on the theme of the film: the things that are hidden in your own and others lives), accompanied by his faithful sidekick, Ronny.

The problem of the film is that it doesn't really have much to say. It has all these loose threads hanging in the air, which is then loosely tied together at the end, but it doesn't really mean much. The character of Ronny is a fitting example. He's obviously just there to provide a comical relief. He doesn't really serve any deeper function. I'm one of those people who like it when a film gives me something to ponder about (after it has ended). Detektor does no such thing. You see it. You laugh a little. But that is really all there is.

I thought the movie was really funny. I especially liked the alarm clock shaped like a cow, or was it? It's been a while since I saw it. Well, anyway, I would like to recommend it to everyone.