Fantastic Norwegian cult movie! Director Carl Jørgen Kiønigs movie of the writers Ola Bauers play. It is about a young boy, Jean (Lasse Kolsrud) growing up in a suburb of Oslo in the 1950-60s. A hard drinking mother Else (Kari Simonsen) and the violent and bad mouthed stepfather "ManRay" (Bjørn Floberg), do not make the life of Jean easy. The family pet, a turtle named "Lynet" (The lightning) and the mildly retarded Abbor Anders, are probably the only friends Jean got. Anders and Jean enjoy fishing together, but Anders backs off when the local gang leader "Finn" comes around. Jean is doing everything he can to impress "Finn" and the tough local ramp gang, if not, he will be "taken care of". That gang also includes the girl "Ekko Mona", a girl that always repeats what "Finn" says, thats how she got her gang name. To make the gang back off, Jean tells stories about his dead dad. Stories that his mother have told him. Stories about how his dad died in the concentration camp Sachsenhausen. Or did he die in another way? Jean also have to do dangerous things to satisfy "Finn".
The movie goes back and forward in time as it progresses, and Kiønig has done this in a smooth and clever way. Sadly it is not possible to buy this movie, it has only been shown on the Norwegian state television channel (NRK). Maybe one day in the future NRK will make great productions like this available to the Norwegian people, and also to the rest of the world.
Have to add that the music in this movie is great. Kiønigs "eye " for details and humor (hint: did you see the ladybirds? Or what about the close up one the pork chops during the meal when ManRay eats?), makes this kind of sad drama movie some what lighter and watchable. Lasse Kolsrud, Kari Simonsen and Bjørn Floberg are doing some really great acting. This is world class art.
The movie goes back and forward in time as it progresses, and Kiønig has done this in a smooth and clever way. Sadly it is not possible to buy this movie, it has only been shown on the Norwegian state television channel (NRK). Maybe one day in the future NRK will make great productions like this available to the Norwegian people, and also to the rest of the world.
Have to add that the music in this movie is great. Kiønigs "eye " for details and humor (hint: did you see the ladybirds? Or what about the close up one the pork chops during the meal when ManRay eats?), makes this kind of sad drama movie some what lighter and watchable. Lasse Kolsrud, Kari Simonsen and Bjørn Floberg are doing some really great acting. This is world class art.