anahains Reviews

Heftig og begeistret (2001)

Snow and Singing

[7/10 · 27 April 2014]

Cool and Crazy explores the lives of men who participate in an all-male choir in Finnmark. The film covers a wide range of topics that are part of the choir men's histories and daily lives. Basically, Cool and Crazy is just a glimpse into the everyday life of these choir men. This documentary investigates why the men participate in this choir, their well-being, perspectives on religion and politics, and what it means to live in a harsh place like Finnmark.

The men all have different reasons for their choir membership. Many of the men participate in the choir because it gives them a feeling of companionship. Some of the members are quite old and their significant others are deceased. One man described himself as 'a bit of a Casanova' in his youth but that all of that had stopped. In fact, men talked about female companionship more than they actually had it throughout the film. These men probably joined the choir for the companionship and interaction. Other men cited their musical drive as their purpose for participating in choir. One mentioned he wanted to be a pop star when he was younger. Another said he felt a need to play. He was versed in multiple instruments but said he was awful at all of them. Others said similar things like the need to belong and wanting to feel fulfilled.

Most of the men seem to be perfectly content with their way of life. One man said he had the opportunity to study engineering at a university some time ago but he would rather fish instead. He expressed his love for fishing and talked about how people needed fisherman. He felt much fulfillment with his life. On a similar vein, the drug addict, despite being homeless and using meth for 12 years, said that he had no regrets. He had stopped using drugs and talked fondly about his ex-wife and ex-girlfriends. The filmmakers followed one man to the doctor and listened as he explained he had never been skinny. This man had a bright attitude and even joked around with his friend about it. Most of the men had positive and carefree attitudes about life but some were a bit darker. The communist was a bit angrier than the rest of the men and engaged in political debates with other members of the choir.

Politics and religion are topics that every culture understands. The men in the choir are no different. The communist expresses his admiration for Lenin and the Soviet Union. He claims to have gotten less vocal with age but still vigorously defended the Soviet Union's actions. All the men share an intense dislike for Hitler and Nazi Germany which probably stems from the fact that a lot of the men lived through World War II. One man survived a German bombing that killed his brother when he was a boy. Watching the scene where the men honored those that died fighting the Germans in Russia was very touching. Some of the men also talk about their views on religion. Like the majority of Scandinavia, many of the men don't appear to participate in organized religion. The drug addict described himself as agnostic. Another man said he never went to church when he was younger, not even on Christmas, but he started going when he started playing the organ. Now that he goes, he thinks church attendance is a really good thing and it is part of his life.

The raw beauty of Finnmark is captured beautifully in this film. The cinematography of the men singing outdoors is fantastic. The environment is harsh and all of the residents of this town feel the strain of survival. In some of the scenes, it is difficult to hear the men over the snow or surf and they must sing together to make themselves heard. These scenes inspire the view to imagine the men are united against the harsh nature of Finnmark. One man says that the choir and the thing that keeps the surf from pounding in are the only things keeping the town alive.

Cool and Crazy is a great film that explores the lives of a close group of men in a very small northern town. What is remarkable is how relatable the men are despite the differences in nationality and age. Many of the men reminded me of my grandfathers because of their dispositions. Despite living in a harsh place, the men are happy and content with their home and choir.

Troll Hunter (2010)

Very Funny

[8/10 · 16 April 2014]

Trollhunter is a delightful movie to watch when you want to see something light and entertaining. Three film students following a 'bear poacher' find themselves in a dangerous and frightening new world where trolls exist and the Norwegian government will do anything to keep the truth from the public. Trollhunter is a success because of its portrayal of the hero Hans, mockumentary style, and its use of folklore, scenery, and comedic elements.

The hero of Trollhunter, Hans, takes the Norwegian outsider theme to a whole new level. In Norwegian movies, many outsider protagonists would not fit the hero definition but this is not true in Trollhunter. The movie begins with interviews of bear hunters about the supposed 'bear poacher'. Most of the other hunters don't know much about him and have unflattering opinions concerning him. It is clear that the 'bear poacher' is quite a loner. The film students track Hans to a trailer park, where his trailer easy stands out due to the strange light fixtures attached to it. Hans' appearance is unapproachable at best. He wears dark clothing and has a scar on his cheek. The film student's first attempt to interview him ends badly when he refuses to talk to him. After Hans lets the students tag along with him he slowly starts to open up about trolls and his life. Hans has been pretty much on his own for a while, protecting the public from troll shenanigans. The students commend him for his efforts and call him a 'Norwegian hero'. The students also witness Hans perform many heroic acts. He saves them from at least three different trolls and returns to finish the job even after he gets hurt. The last scene of Hans shows him walking off into the snowy hills, reminiscent of many heroic movie exits.

The mockumentary style works in the favor of the filmmakers. While some movies rely on music and lights to create the atmosphere Trollhunter creates the appropriate atmosphere with a hand-held camera. When the students flee the forest, the viewer really feels disoriented because of the darkness, trees, and hand held camera movements. The lack of sound emphasizes the dialogue and the sound of breathing. The tense situations are accentuated by the harsh breathing of the panicked students. The mockumentary style new to Norway and is well adapted for this film.

Trollhunter is a very good combination of Hollywood and Norwegian styles. The inclusion of native Norwegian folklore with Hollywood techniques tells an entertaining story. The appearance of the trolls in the film is borrowed from Norwegian folktales and legends. Some troll facts that are taken from folktale sources are: the different species of trolls, the multiple heads and tails, being attracted to Christian blood, and turning into stone in sunlight. The film meshes these classic Norwegian tales with modern life in Norway. Most Norwegians do not consider themselves religious, which is reflected in the fact that two of the three students don't believe in God or Jesus. The film also includes a Muslim woman, demonstrating an integration of modern Norway with classic folktales. Modern Norway is also portrayed through the landscape. The scenery featured in Trollhunter is also a big part of what makes the movie enjoyable. Much of the beginning of the movie takes place on the coast. The students follow Hans onto a ferry that is taking them into the foggy mountains. The fog is excellently used to add to Hans' mysterious presence and represents the students' journey into the unknown. When Hans departs in the middle of the night, the students follow him into the forest. The forest is a big part of Norway and a natural place for trolls to hide from the general public. The snowy north is also featured as a home for trolls. When the gigantic troll steps out at the end, it blends seamlessly in with the surrounding landscape. The filmmakers use the Norwegian landscape to accommodate their fictional trolls very well.

Trollhunter featured very dry humor that I thought worked well with the subject of the movie. If the filmmakers had tried to make a serious movie about trolls they probably would have ended up with a lot of unintentionally funny moments. By making the film humorous, the makers were able to exploit the inevitably funny moments to create an even better movie. For instance, the film students are obviously pretty inexperienced because the film includes many intentional goofs. Any accidental goofs would fit right in because they would be attributed to the filmmakers' ineptness. Other funny moments included humorous commentary on contemporary Norwegian issues. For example, many Norwegians complain about the large ugly power lines in the mountains. Hans mentions that the power lines are essential because they are 'electric fences' for the trolls. The Troll Security Service (TSS) was also a very funny concept that the filmmakers eased into the film. TSS covers up troll attacks by making them look like bear attacks perpetrated by non-Scandinavian bears. The public is none the wiser.

If you are in the mood for a light and funny movie I suggest watching Trollhunter. You will never look at bear attacks the same way again.

Troubled Water (2008)

A story of healing and redemption

[8/10 · 30 March 2014]

Troubled Water is a story of a young man and a devoted mother trying to move on from events that happened in the past. Of course, when the past is as complicated as the death of a child, it is hard to escape. Troubled water is a story of faith and religion, denial, forgiveness, redemption, and acceptance and rebirth.

The story is told from two points of view: Thomas and Agnes. Thomas is released from prison after serving a sentence for killing a child. Agnes, as the mother of the deceased child, has very strong feelings about that. Soon after being released, Thomas gets a job at a church playing the organ. He bonds with the priest and her son while Agnes, horrified, watches. Neither Thomas nor Agnes is particularly religious but faith and religion come up a lot in the storyline. The pastor talks to Thomas and tells him that even the doubters have a place in the church. Religious icons are featured prominently in the story too. The inmates light candles during their church service to represent the hope they have. Poppe uses his camera to capture church imagery in his scenes. Several times when Thomas is sitting/standing near his organ the camera captures his head or his face but focuses on a statue in the background. The statue resembles Jesus and serves as a reminder that God sees all. Baptism is also a theme found throughout the movie. First, when the class field trip is learning about the baptismal font and at the end when Thomas and Agnes are in the water and undergo a baptism of sorts.

Another theme that comes up in the film is denial. Thomas is in denial about what happened with Isak and Agnes is in denial about Thomas's intentions toward Jens. When people try to confront him with the truth, Thomas becomes angry and defensive. Many people remember that, during the trial, the two boys blamed each other for the death and neither took responsibility. Thomas maintains throughout most of the movie that Isak's death was an accident and he was not a murderer. At the very end after saving Jens and facing death Thomas admits that he killed Isak. When Agnes encounters Thomas she becomes very angry, even lashing out at the clergy at the church where Thomas works. She cannot understand why they would let Thomas near Jens and refuses to listen to the people who tell her that Thomas loves Jens. She ends up kidnapping Jens, thinking that it is for his own good, and demands answers from Thomas. When Thomas saves Jens Agnes understands that while Thomas may have killed her son he does not want to do the same to Jens. She realizes that Thomas isn't a cold-blooded child killer she once believed.

Forgiveness is featured prominently She also believes that God's forgiveness is what most people really need. Throughout the film Thomas believes that he doesn't need to apologize to anyone and therefore doesn't need any forgiveness. At the end Thomas admits his guilt and he and Agnes share a long wordless moment together. Agnes touches his face, showing that she is at peace with what he did to her son.

Following the theme of forgiveness is the theme of redemption. Anna states in the film that atonement is much better than forgiveness. While Thomas struggles with life outside of prison he tries to move on by being with Anna and Jens. When Jens accidentally hits his head on the wall, Thomas frantically checks his head for injury. Thomas's concern for Jens demonstrates his determination to do better and not let the past repeat itself.

Thomas and Agnes are both broken individuals scarred by life experiences but they are able to move on with acceptance and rebirth. Thomas's broken hand represents his internal state. Thomas also is in possession of a broken mirror which gives his reflection a broken appearance. At first, Agnes appears to be of sounder mind. Her internal turmoil is slowly revealed, especially when she goes out to dinner with her husband's new boss. She ends up hysterically laughing over the loss of her son. She then makes an irrational decision to kidnap Anna's child. Thomas and Agnes's conflict comes to a head when they work together to save Jens. As I mentioned above, their dip in the water represents a baptism. As explained at the beginning, a baptism represents rebirth and the events that follow after the river demonstrate both Thomas and Agnes have been reborn. Agnes accepts Thomas explanation for her son's death and appears to be at peace. She returns to her family where they are united by love. Thomas's ending is more ambiguous but it is clear that he is more at peace with himself after his confession.

I think this movie takes a complex issue and explores it very well. The death of a child is one of the most devastating experiences humans can know and not all reactions are the same. I really enjoyed this movie because it gives an accurate representation of the aftermath of such devastating experiences. I think that the message that atonement is much more important than forgiveness is an excellent insight of the human experience. This is because atonement represents outward actions that make things right while forgiveness is an inner feeling. Many people can benefit from atonement but forgiveness is limited.

101 Reykjavík (2000)

Strange but entertaining

[6/10 · 6 March 2014]

The story of 101 Reykjavik follows Hlynur, a young man in his mid-thirties who lives with his mother. Hlynur enjoys spending his days (and unemployment checks) drinking, watching porn, smoking, and web surfing. He occasionally has sex with Hofy, a girl he regularly sees at the club he frequents, but resists having more than a physical relationship with her. He has several friends he goes to the pub with but his closest relationship is with his mother. At the beginning of the film, Hlynur is content to watch life on a television or computer screen and live in close quarters with his mother. When asked what he does Hlynur replies he does nothing, "the nothing kind of nothing". He detests his extended family and finds their company so mundane that he has fantasies of killing them with a shotgun. However, his routine is upended when his mother's dance instructor, Lola, moves in with them for the holidays. Hlynur is attracted to her and invites her out to an evening with friends. Lola enjoys going out and drinking even more than Hlynur does and leaves the bar with another woman. On New Year's Eve Hlynur finds out that Lola is a lesbian but, despite this insight, he sleeps with her. Complications arise when Hlynur discovers that his mother is in a lesbian relationship with Lola and that Lola is pregnant with his baby. 101 Reykjavik employs clever film techniques to tell the story of an isolated young man and his journey to take an active role in life; a story that could be used as a metaphor for larger situations.

Watching Hlynur step out of his isolated world and into reality is part of what makes 101 Reykjavik an enjoyable film. As the movie progresses, Hlynur is less and less content to continue his aloof lifestyle and becomes more and more engaged with the world around him. The transition is not smooth. Hlynur enjoys his isolation, commenting with relief at a club that it was too noisy to talk and too busy to dance thus providing a barrier to anything potentially engaging or intimate. Lola becomes a major force in Hlynur's life, pulling him out of his self-imposed isolation. This is represented when she makes him watch the fireworks from the balcony and not on the TV regardless of his protests that "they actually look better on a screen". Despite his blasé attitude towards commitment he is genuinely upset when Lola becomes pregnant but does not reveal he is the father and describes the father as a 'donor'. While Hlynur readily accepts his mother for who she is, he has trouble accepting that she will raise his baby and becomes very emotionally conflicted. He tries to reconcile his newfound feelings with his isolated world but the audience can see he is struggling when he attends a party and ends up watching two people have sex. For Hlynur, an avid porn watcher, this could be seen as progress into the real world because watching real sex does not involve the isolation of watching it on a screen. At the end of the movie we see that Hlynur is an active part of his child's life and has a job checking parking meters, proving that Hlynur has started participating in life and even taking on some responsibility.

Several film techniques are employed to include the audience in Hlynur's isolated world and his journey to becoming an active participant in life. Voice overs are a film technique employed to give insight into Hlynur's thoughts and feelings. Hlynur's thoughts track his character change. At the beginning of the film, Hlynur voices his complaint that they don't show porn in the morning. Whereas at the end of the film, Hlynur describes himself as a harmless flightless bird, his inner voice shows that his thoughts have gotten deeper and more self-exploratory. His voice emphasizes his struggle to take more control over his life and become more active. Crane shots of Hlynur trudging through the mountainous Icelandic landscape are also used to convey his isolation as they sweep over the deserted land. These shots give an idea how vastly isolated and, especially at the end of the film, how lonely Hlynur's life is.

Despite the films clear comedic undertones, 101 Reykjavik is a good metaphor for change coming to a small nation like Iceland. Iceland is an isolated country and, like Hlynur, may not completely engage the rest of the world. One of the major changes in Hlynur's life is the revelation of his mother's sexual preferences. Hlynur accepts his mother and notes how social views in Iceland are changing by describing how 'the lesbian is new to Iceland' thus describing how his story could be transcended to the national level. 101 Reykjavik is a good model for change in a small isolated country and how people deal with that change and engage with the greater world as a whole. 101 Reykjavik artfully tells the story of an isolated young man becoming more engaged in life as a message that is universally understood. The film employs techniques such as voice overs and crane shots to convey the isolation that Hlynur feels and his struggle to become fully participating in his world. Many understand Hlynur's struggle to take control of his life and will be able to relate to him and enjoy 101 Reykjavik.