A simple film of simple people with simple intentions, Elling (2001), a Petter Naess film, portrays a pair finding their way through the welfare state of Norway. An authentic focus on the lives of these two men with mental illness grabs sympathy from the audience as they watch the everyday struggles of Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen) and Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin). After living the majority of his life with his mother, her unexpected death cripples Elling and his psyche, and we see Elling being forced out of a closet he had been hiding in by the Norway welfare people for his own good will. Elling meets his roommate, Kjell Bjarne who obsesses over the sexy stories Elling tells him. Eventually, the pair find themselves living in a big city welfare apartment provided for them by the Norwegian government. It is here that they build a relationship with their social worker, Frank Asli (Jorgen Langhelle) as they try living day to day life.
The topic of mental illness is central to this film, as the two main characters had the Norwegian government intervene in their lives because they were unsuitable to live on their own. Naess chooses to not include the actual diagnoses of each character because he felt that including a clinical diagnosis for each character would dehumanize them. This choice is extremely effective in translating a very likable nature behind the pair no matter their psychological differences. Although, Naess had good intentions of making the two very likable in spite of their mental illness, it also may translate to the audience that all people with mental illness are such simple, good natured, likable people that must be taken care of by their respective state governments. Nonetheless, the simplicity of these two characters definitely grab at the audiences' heartstrings.
The character of Elling is a staunch Labour Party supporter and Gro Harlem Brundtland enthusiast which is a major theme throughout the film. Once the unlikely pair move into their government housing, Elling insists on putting an almost angelic photograph of Gro Harlem Brundtland (a major supporter of the welfare state in Norway) in a prominent spot on their dining area wall. Elling has idealized Gro Harlem Brundtland so much that he constantly reads about her and almost substitutes her for his mother and for those who are taking care of him. Such strong support by Elling for this Party can be seen in political disagreements that he has with his new friends at a cabin where he truly believes everything the Labour Party has done is right and true. The viewer may question if Elling clung to this idealism once he could no longer cling to his mother What seems to draw Elling out of his neurotic rut is the opportunity for new friendship and even family. Kjell Bjarne, no matter how different he is in personality, and Elling demonstrate their friendship when giving each other gifts on Christmas. They both pick something that is truly perfectly inherent to the others personality and this moment is one of the most meaningful and precious of the entire movie, granted Kjell's present was a nude woman on a watch! Elling and Kjell Bjarne provide each other with exactly what each other needs to balance out, which seems to be why the pair is so successful in living on their own and really creating their own family.
For such a simple pair of characters, Naess provides a simple amount of locations for scenes. A large amount of the film takes place in the government provided housing that Elling is afraid to leave. Once Elling begins to shed some of his anxieties, we see both Elling and Kjell Bjarne in different places with different people such as a poetry house, cabin, or friends' apartment. Simple cinematic techniques are used as well to compliment the simple characters. The use of voice-over provides extra detail if needed that may not be interpreted from a scene. Besides this technique, there seems to be no flashy devices like those in Hollywood that catch a viewers' attention. But rather, the viewer is able to focus on the characters and their likability and simplistic nature.
The film, Elling (2001), is an uplifting story with authentic characters that develop through being forced into the "real world" essentially. There are no hidden things to get from this film, as it is upfront and simple and only wants to provide the story of an unlikely pair coming together to form their own family.
The topic of mental illness is central to this film, as the two main characters had the Norwegian government intervene in their lives because they were unsuitable to live on their own. Naess chooses to not include the actual diagnoses of each character because he felt that including a clinical diagnosis for each character would dehumanize them. This choice is extremely effective in translating a very likable nature behind the pair no matter their psychological differences. Although, Naess had good intentions of making the two very likable in spite of their mental illness, it also may translate to the audience that all people with mental illness are such simple, good natured, likable people that must be taken care of by their respective state governments. Nonetheless, the simplicity of these two characters definitely grab at the audiences' heartstrings.
The character of Elling is a staunch Labour Party supporter and Gro Harlem Brundtland enthusiast which is a major theme throughout the film. Once the unlikely pair move into their government housing, Elling insists on putting an almost angelic photograph of Gro Harlem Brundtland (a major supporter of the welfare state in Norway) in a prominent spot on their dining area wall. Elling has idealized Gro Harlem Brundtland so much that he constantly reads about her and almost substitutes her for his mother and for those who are taking care of him. Such strong support by Elling for this Party can be seen in political disagreements that he has with his new friends at a cabin where he truly believes everything the Labour Party has done is right and true. The viewer may question if Elling clung to this idealism once he could no longer cling to his mother What seems to draw Elling out of his neurotic rut is the opportunity for new friendship and even family. Kjell Bjarne, no matter how different he is in personality, and Elling demonstrate their friendship when giving each other gifts on Christmas. They both pick something that is truly perfectly inherent to the others personality and this moment is one of the most meaningful and precious of the entire movie, granted Kjell's present was a nude woman on a watch! Elling and Kjell Bjarne provide each other with exactly what each other needs to balance out, which seems to be why the pair is so successful in living on their own and really creating their own family.
For such a simple pair of characters, Naess provides a simple amount of locations for scenes. A large amount of the film takes place in the government provided housing that Elling is afraid to leave. Once Elling begins to shed some of his anxieties, we see both Elling and Kjell Bjarne in different places with different people such as a poetry house, cabin, or friends' apartment. Simple cinematic techniques are used as well to compliment the simple characters. The use of voice-over provides extra detail if needed that may not be interpreted from a scene. Besides this technique, there seems to be no flashy devices like those in Hollywood that catch a viewers' attention. But rather, the viewer is able to focus on the characters and their likability and simplistic nature.
The film, Elling (2001), is an uplifting story with authentic characters that develop through being forced into the "real world" essentially. There are no hidden things to get from this film, as it is upfront and simple and only wants to provide the story of an unlikely pair coming together to form their own family.