I am ambivalent about this film. Based on true events, the basic plotline - a pair of criminals roaming the countryside of 1920s' Norway - is interesting. But for various reasons the film's total adds up to less than the sum of its parts.
Johannes is a teenaged drifter, a former lumberjack who dreams of being a sailor. On the road he meets Mikael, a charismatic charmer and sometime gigolo. With his new young friend in tow, Mikael decides to embark on a life of crime. But circumstances soon overtake the pair, with violence waiting around the corner.
As I said, the plot is interesting. But the execution of the film lets it down: for instance, a homosexual element in the lead characters' relationship is introduced then just as quickly dropped without being explored; similarly, it is not clear what is the purpose of a much-revisited scene where the pair gatecrash a posh party and dance the Charleston: did they rob the place, or just fancy a bit of a dance? After a while the constant flashbacks and flashforwards get tiresome; there are far too many scenes of Mikael and Johannes running through woods; and a repeated scene at the very end of the film, of Johannes dancing in a railroad car, may highlight actor Åsmund Høeg's impressive dancing skills but seems to have been added merely to beef up the film's duration. Unfortunately there are too few stand-out scenes (one being a gorgeous shot of snow falling from tree brances onto the camera) to make up for these deficiences. I saw this at the 2021 London Film Festival but will not be watching it again.
Johannes is a teenaged drifter, a former lumberjack who dreams of being a sailor. On the road he meets Mikael, a charismatic charmer and sometime gigolo. With his new young friend in tow, Mikael decides to embark on a life of crime. But circumstances soon overtake the pair, with violence waiting around the corner.
As I said, the plot is interesting. But the execution of the film lets it down: for instance, a homosexual element in the lead characters' relationship is introduced then just as quickly dropped without being explored; similarly, it is not clear what is the purpose of a much-revisited scene where the pair gatecrash a posh party and dance the Charleston: did they rob the place, or just fancy a bit of a dance? After a while the constant flashbacks and flashforwards get tiresome; there are far too many scenes of Mikael and Johannes running through woods; and a repeated scene at the very end of the film, of Johannes dancing in a railroad car, may highlight actor Åsmund Høeg's impressive dancing skills but seems to have been added merely to beef up the film's duration. Unfortunately there are too few stand-out scenes (one being a gorgeous shot of snow falling from tree brances onto the camera) to make up for these deficiences. I saw this at the 2021 London Film Festival but will not be watching it again.
