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Reviews
Så som i himmelen (2004)
Learning to Open your Heart
The Swedish film, As it is in Heaven, directed by Kay Pollak is beautifully written and extremely touching. The main character of the film is Daniel Daréus, a troubled yet very talented composer. Daniel is introduced in the film as being highly successful in his adult life with flashbacks of his traumatic childhood. He decides to move back to his hometown after his heart attack to a small town in Sweden. The towns people do not know that this was his hometown because his agent changed his name when he was 15 years old. The audience is quickly introduced to Lana, a character that is hard not to love. Her positive attitude is quickly transferred to Daniel who up until meeting her seemed very dark and troubled. After he meets Lana, Daniel gets a job as a cantor at the church. Many different characters are introduced that all hold significance in the storyline. Once Daniel enters the church it is safe to say that everything changes and many peoples lives improve, except for a few jealous men that end up being trying to steal everyone's joy. This film has a little bit of everything; it incorporates religion, death, abuse, bullying, love, and disabilities all while keeping a very realistic and relatable storyline. Pollak is able to evoke a feeling of tension in the film through his close-up camera angles while also incorporating the themes of outsiders and guardian angels.
The first few minutes of the film the audience is introduced to Daniel in a field, as he is getting bullied by his classmates and repetitively beaten. The camera does close-up shots of the boy's stomach and his face as he is lying on the ground in pain. This scene also includes close-ups of adult Daniel as he is composing a song at one of his famous venues. During the close-up shots of adult Daniel you see his sweat dripping off his hair and body, as well as the blood that is pouring out of his nose. This is clearly offsetting and along with his rapid arm movements they all combine to create an uncomfortable tension to start off the film. This is a common cinematic technique that is often used in Nordic film to help exemplify the characters emotions. Other examples throughout the film include when Lana and Daniel are intimate together and the camera is only focused on their faces as if we are right on top of them as they kiss. Also when Gabriella, the abused choir member decides she will sing the solo song Daniel wrote for her you could see it in her tired eyes how hopeful she was for the future. I believe that Pollak included these close-ups to enhance our understanding of each of the characters. The scenes could have lost much of their meaning if the camera was at a different angle.
Another common Nordic theme in films that Pollak also included in this film was the incorporation of outsiders. The obvious outsider in this film would be Daniel as he is world famous and Interrupt the little town and must deal with those who do not want him there. For example the pastor who gets very jealous of Daniel and begins to feel like he is taking attention away from the church. Near the end the audience is exposed to a breakdown that the pastor has towards Daniel when he states, "I used to mean something here" regarding his church and his mourning of his failed marriage. Another outsider in this film is Thore, a mentally disabled boy who loves being around happy crowds. In the beginning he is on the outside just listening to the choir and then decides he wants to be a part of it. The great part about this choir was the acceptance of outsiders and the understanding that everyone has their flaws.
Lastly a theme that I often noticed throughout the film, As it is in Heaven, was the idea of guardian angels. Although this concept was not brought up until about half way through the film, as I reflect I believe that angels hold a lot of meaning to the film. Lana claims that she see's angels on people's shoulders and that you just have to look hard to see them. I believe that Lana and the choir were Daniels guardian angels. They transformed him from someone who was unable to love and did not let him be mistreated by the pastor or Connie. On the other hand you could say that Daniel was the guardian angel that many of the characters needed. Such as the pastors wife, when she needed refuge from her crippling marriage she sought out Daniel. Daniel was also there to try to help Gabriella gain a voice in her abusive marriage in which he helped the only way he knew how, to write a solo song for her to sing at a concert. I believe that it sounded like angels singing through the vent as the last scene was shot and Daniel was most likely going to die. He claimed that he had a dream to create music that opens people's hearts, and he certainly accomplished that while also opening his own heart.
Overall this was my favorite Nordic film I have watched thus far. I thought that the acting was excellent and I could relate to many of the characters. Through the themes of the outsider and angels while also using close-ups I thought that this film was very special and I would recommend it to anyone looking to watch a great film.
Efter brylluppet (2006)
Family Relationships Including Cross-Cultural Perspectives
The Danish film, After the Wedding, directed by Susanne Bier is beautifully formulated to make you cry, laugh, think, and cringe. This film includes several multifaceted characters that constantly keep you guessing as to who they are as a person. Jacob, the main character, lives in India and works for an orphanage, he travels to Denmark to meet with a millionaire, Jørgen, in hopes of getting a loan to keep the orphanage from shutting down. Jørgen is married to Helene whom has three children, two younger boy twins and a daughter whom we assume is in her early twenties. The daughter, Anna, gets married to Christian early on in the film. After the wedding, as one can presume from the title, everything in this family dynamic changes and secrets from the past begin to unfold. The audience soon finds out that Jacob is Anna's father and Helene's past lover. The rest of this drama filled film deals with the themes of family relationships and morality, while the director Bier implements extreme-close ups in order to expose the characters raw emotions.
The director of this film, Susanne Bier, is known for her somewhat obsessive interest in family relationships. After the Wedding, seemingly deals with every kind of family relationship one can think up, even those that are not related by blood. Relationships between parents and their children stand out at the most important and loving aspect of this film. During the first ten minutes of this film both Jacob and Jørgen are introduced by showing their love toward children. Jacob has somewhat adopted an Indian child, Pramod, who he raised since he was a week old, when Jacob must leave Pramod for Denmark you can see the love in his heart for the child. Jørgen is first introduced as he reads a children's book to his twin boys and impersonates the voice of a duck. It is clear from the beginning that both of these men would do anything to help these children and that is why this film is so special and heart wrenching. At Anna's wedding it is announced in her speech that Jørgen is not her biological father, but that still loves him just as much. This idea of being a parent to someone who is not your biological child comes up in this movie from both Jacob and Jargons point of view. Other types of relationships are also portrayed however, such as struggling marriages, indefinitely, death and jealousy. Through all of these intermingled relationships a sense of maturity and calmness resonates over a majority of the characters. Jørgen is secretly dealing with his impending death, but other characters such as Jacob, Anna and Helene all figure out how to work with the situation they are dealt with while exuding love as much as they possibly can. In some ways this film is a lesson to all about how to deal with adverse situations.
The morality of this film struck me due to the fact that this film lent no easy choices or happy endings. Constantly the characters had to deal with situations regarding right and wrong. Jacob, who loved India, had to make the decision of weather to save the children of the orphanage that he loves, or to live in Denmark, which he despised. Jørgen had to make the decision to help the orphan children financially and how to protect his family after he has passed away. Anna had to decide weather or not to accept her new father into her life. Helene had to deal with the implications of telling her daughter about Jacob, and also weather or not to tell Anna about Jargons illness. It always seemed that one of these characters was going to be morally corrupt and end up disappointing the audience. But I never felt that way, which surprised me because in the end I sympathized with ever character, apart from the cheating groom Christian. Jacob kept asking Jørgen, "Why are you doing this?", "What do you get out of this?", "What is in this for you?". Although the audience did not find out until the end of the film that Jørgen was going to die and that he wanted Jacob in Denmark to take care of his family, he also donated over 12 million dollars to the orphanage. You could sense that Jørgen was a good person; he was just dealing with dark burdens inside that made him seem insincere. Was it wrong for him to donate the money out of selfish reward? Maybe, however all parties involved benefited and some hope remained for the grieving Danish family and the impoverished Indian orphans. That is always Susanne Biers goal, to implement very intense story lines that deal with many uncomfortable situations, but in the end leaving the audience with hope for the future.
Some believe that all of ones emotions can be seen through their eyes. After the Wedding in every single scene includes an extreme close-up of characters eyes at pivotal emotional times. Whether it is that a character is tearing up, concerned, happy, or confused, the close-up camera shots are able to force the audience to feel their emotions. An example that includes all of the main characters is when Anna is making her emotional wedding speech; a close-up of her eyes shows her love towards her parents, as Jargons eyes are beaming at the kind words. Jacobs's eyes are in panic as he figures out that Anna is his child, while Helene's eyes show sorrow, as she knows that everything from that moment on would change. Even the foreshadowing of Jørgen's death includes the dead fox and deer eyes. This technique, following Bier's interest in Dogme 95, is instrumental in depicting the characters raw emotions as opposed to relying on background special effects. This excellent film will make you think hard about life, as it is universally relatable.
Mies vailla menneisyyttä (2002)
Rebuilding a Life
The Finnish film A Man Without a Past directed by Aki Kaurismäki incorporated many universal life lessons in a refreshingly simplistic style. The film although not my favorite, still had great depth and a thoughtful storyline that forced me to reflect on what makes humans truly happy. A Man Without a Past chronicles the events that unfold after a middle-aged man is brutally beaten in a park and unable to remember anything about his past, not even his own name. The film documents this man, known as M, and his journey to creating a new life and the people he meets along the way. Through this journey the theme of American 1950's songs and cinematic techniques shines through and unlike mainstream Hollywood films involving action, sex, and special effects, Kaurismäki is able to touch his audience by portraying women as the hero's and characters who find happiness even as outsiders of a society.
From the very first scene of A Man Without a Past" American 1950's style music played in the background creating a setting that the movie was back in time. Throughout the first ten minutes of the film very little dialogue was spoken and the music and lighting took large precedent on the tone the rest of the film was going to take on. To some this music selection could be seen as odd, but director Aki Kaurismäki implements this theme into several of his other films and shorts. It seems he is fascinated by this time period and it is clear that this film was largely inspired by the 1950's in America and rock and roll. For example, we are introduced early on in the film to Irma, a very conservative Salvation Army worker whom lives a very minimalistic life style. Irma settles into her small apartment and falls asleep to a song called "Do the Shake" which made you want to stand up and dance. I was surprised that this was the song choice at first but then felt it added some personality to Irma. Next M finds an old jukebox on the side of the road and hooks it up in his "house", constantly playing old tunes from America while making dinner and doing other various things. He even tells Irma, "I think I want to be a rock and roll manager". Rock and Roll in not the only genre included however, jazz music is also incorporated into the film as well as classical, gospel, and blues. Many scenes, especially involving M and Irma also had songs that felt as if they were from a 1920's film. The dark lighting and jumpy music created an almost black and white feel to those scenes, particularly the ones that incorporated romance. Another way of incorporating this feeling of an older setting was the fade to black cuts that would end a scene. With all of these examples in mind, it seems that these cinematic decisions reflect the director and his love for music and different time periods.
Contrary to many Hollywood films, this Finnish film portrayed women as the hero's that helped the men out of their troubles. Beginning with Kaisa nursing M back to health it was understood that she was the decision maker of the home. Even her husband said early on that "she was the boss" which very much differs from the American gender roles. Next M goes to a Salvation Army event in which only men stood in line to be served by all women. It was clear that the men were in distress and the women were there to help them get them back on their feet. Irma also provides M clean clothes and a job to help him figure out his life. Other small, yet significant examples include two older women feeding leftovers to M in a diner, or M's ex-wife coming to the rescue to help him figure out his past. On the flip side the men in this film are seen as either helpless or heartless. For example, the man working at the employment office kicked M out of the building and the police officers tried their hardest to convict M on a crime he didn't commit. The stark differences between men and women is fascinating especially due to the fact the movie was directed by a man. It seems to be a large trend in Nordic film that women are the ones to be respected and that men are the ones who need saving. Although M is able to recover and recreate a new life for himself, without the women he met that would have never been possible.
The minimalistic way of living that was portrayed in this film was significant. M and his friends seem to live in old construction containers in which no bathrooms seem to be present and electricity is barely viable. Everyone that M holds a real relationship with involve those who are on the fringe of society. Even M himself said, "no one will want to hire me, I am an outcast". With this said however, the characters that seem to be struggling the most are the ones with the most heart. I believe the message that Kaurismäki was trying to deliver was that money isn't the only thing in life that will get you far. It turns out that M's new life living in poverty is much more fulfilling than his past when he was a bad husband and addicted to gambling.
Rebuilding a life is not easy, and for most people it does not involve getting amnesia and forgetting everything about our past. However, A Man Without a Past is able to give insight on how meaningful relationships are a key component to happiness and success when starting over. Through quirky music and old timey techniques along with out of the norm gender roles, this film will leave you pleasantly surprised.
Elling (2001)
Redefining Normal
The Norwegian film "Elling" delightfully swept me off of my feet. The film directed by Peter Næss portrays the journey and lives of two mentally institutionalized roommates, Elling and Kjell Bjarne, who are now living in an apartment provided by the Norwegian welfare system in Oslo. Not many films have the ability to make you self reflect the way that "Elling" can. This film through its impeccable acting and thoughtful storyline immediately forces you to relate to and essentially root for the characters to succeed. By skillfully incorporating voice-overs, implanting messages regarding mental illness, and exploring how humans can evolve, this film leaves the audience feeling hope toward humanity.
An integral film technique that Peter Næss incorporated into this simplistic style of film was voice-overs. Elling would not hold nearly the same amount of meaning if the audience did not get to hear the inner thoughts of the troubled but lovely Elling throughout. Instead of special effects, sex scenes, violence, etc. Elling instead captures its audience through its dialogue. The characters reactions were always fascinating to me and the times that Elling's thoughts were voice-overed were extremely important to the audiences understanding of the characters. When Elling brought Kjell Bjarne to meet Alfon (Elling's poet friend) he said something in his mind that was important to the film overall, "There he goes again. Kjell seems to carry every person he meets. Strange". This quote holds significance in characterizing Kjell Bjarne. First it proves the wonderfully kind heart that Kjell Barne possesses in which he never receives credit for. Throughout most of the film Kjelle Bjarne is referred to as overweight, sex crazed, and an oaf. Yet by using the trauma of his past regarding his mother, he is able to help save and love everyone he meets outside of the mental institution. Elling also gains some humor through the voice-overs. Elling does not always process situations the same as others but that is what makes this film special. He states, "Elling and Kjell Bjarne, Oslo's new rescue team. Pregnant or elderly. Call day or night" This voice-over I found to be funny and made me realize that these two characters, no matter what their mental illness includes, are immensely giving and loving. Through these voice-overs I believe that Elling has the power to make you think deeper and laugh a little more than if director Peter Næss would have not used this technique.
Mental illness is typically a taboo concept in societies universally, however Elling does not shy away from exposing these characters nor never shames them either. The fascinating part to me regarding the inclusion of two mentally institutionalized main characters was that the situations never became too dark nor were medications ever forced upon them for their conditions. The only direct help that was implemented was through a social worker named Paul Ånsel whom had a very positive impact on both characters. Elling in particular was displayed as an anxious, obsessive compulsive, somewhat autistic character from the beginning. Up until Elling was 40 years old he had been sheltered by his mother his entire life up until her death. We watch Elling struggle to answer a phone, answer the door, go outside and cross the street the buy groceries, eat at a restaurant. He states in a voice-over, "I have always had two enemies, dizziness and anxiety,". Yet this quote is the only direct answer the audience ever receives on what is wrong with Elling. His mannerisms and actions are not as society would claim, to be "normal", however this film puts into question what normal really is. Kjell Bjarne pushes Elling to break out of his anxieties, as does Paul but never in a judgmental way that makes him feel inferior to others. Reflecting on this idea I believe that the film was exposing a different way in which humans can deal with mental illness.
Elling and Kjell Bjarne evolve into fully functioning and wonderful members of society by the end of this film. In only 84 minutes the audience feels personally invested in the two characters achieving new goals. As stated earlier, Elling completely restricted himself from everyday activities but as the film progressed we delightfully got to witness Elling breaking down his fears. One of my favorite lines of the movie was when Elling thought to himself, ""Had I really made a friend without any help from the Norwegian government?". Elling never realized his potential and I think that was the most touching part of the entire movie. Through his jealously of Kjell Bjarne and his new romance with Reidun, Elling was able to find his talent of being a poet. He began chronicling his thoughts into poems and placing them inside sauerkraut boxes in local grocery stores around Oslo only signing them with the letter E. His stated he wanted to stay true to his personality as a momma's boy and he didn't want fame, he just wanted to be appreciated as someone significant in society. Kjell Bjarne was also able to evolve throughout the film by finding Reidun and being able to hold a relationship with a woman, which was his biggest dream. The two characters never shied away from who they truly were and in essence they learned how to grow up before our eyes. This film was able to prove that change was possible even regarding the mentally ill.
This film can universally resonate with any audience that watches. It touches on uncomfortable subjects such as mental illness, while giving hope to humans that change is possible. Through the voice-over techniques the audience is given a first hand look to how this complex character operates. Elling and Kjell Barne are immensely complex yet loving characters and even though this film is not flashy or scandalous it has heart and helps the audience self reflect on how they want to live their lives.