Cast: Per Christian Ellefsen, Sven Nordin, Marit Pia Jacobsen, Jørgen Langhelle, Per Christensen
Director: Petter Næss
Producer: Dag Alveberg
Screenplay: Axel Hellstenius, based on the novel by Ingvar Ambjørnsen
Cinematography: Svein Krøvel
Music: Lars Lillo-Stenberg
U.S. Distributor: First Look Pictures
In Norwegian with subtitles
Consider Elling to be the Norwegian version of The Odd Couple. Okay, it's not that simple, but you get the idea. From a Scandinavian cinematic tradition that has spawned Ingmar Bergman and Lars Von Trier comes a decided change-of-pace: a lighthearted dramatic comedy with an upbeat tone and a running length that comes in at under 90 minutes. This is the second feature from director Petter Naess (Absolute Hangover), whose ambition was to make a movie that, while commercially viable, did not sink to the lobotomized depths often in evidence with North American mainstream cinema. He was rewarded not only by a healthy box office in his home country, but a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination.
Elling opens with the release of two men from a Norwegian mental hospital. They are Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen), a self-admitted "Mommy's Boy" who couldn't cope with life after the death of his mother, and Kjell Bjarne (Sven Nordin), a mountain of a man who (like many male virgins) is obsessed with the idea of having sex with a woman. Elling and Kjell, who share an apartment after getting out, are aided in their transition to the "real world" by a social worker, Frank Åsli (Jørgen Langhelle), who warns them that if they don't show progress, they'll be back inside. At first, things don't go well. Elling is afraid to leave the apartment, so Kjell must do all of the shopping, and Kjell has trouble controlling his temper. But, eventually, they begin to overcome their fears. Elling discovers an inner yearning to write poetry, and sets a goal for himself: to become the "Sauerkraut Poet", while Kjell falls in love with Reidun Nordsletten (Marit Pia Jacobsen), the single, pregnant woman living upstairs.
Although admittedly lighthearted, Elling is not without substance. It tackles a couple of interesting issues, the most obvious of which is the need of each of us to face up to our individual fears. Elling and Kjell learn that the key to moving forward and living a "normal" life is conquering the things about the real world that frighten them. Elling acknowledges that some people can travel alone to the South Pole without being terrified, but he has trouble crossing a restaurant floor to reach the restroom. Then there's the "fish out of water" aspect. Usually, comedies of this sort generate humor by poking fun at an individual who reacts oddly to commonplace situations. Elling subtly turns this around. By sharing the protagonists' mindset, we see the bizarre nature of certain things that we consider as just another part of everyday life. For example, when Elling tries to buy train tickets to Oslo, he is asked, "One way?" After a moment to puzzle over the question, he responds, "Is there more than one way? I'd like the quickest possible one, please."
The film's focus is on the two protagonists and the relationship that develops between them. They complement one another, each possessing strengths that the other lacks. At the beginning of the film, they are co-dependent, hardly capable of going anywhere without their "other half". By the end, however, Elling and Kjell have grown into individuals. They still share a close bond, but they have reached a point where they can move forward on their own. Per Christian Ellefsen and Sven Nordin have a complete grasp of the characters they are playing, since they are reprising their roles from an earlier stage adaptation of the story. Here, they become Elling and Kjell, and their acting, combined with Naess' deft management of comedy and light drama, makes Elling an enjoyable experience.
© 2002 James Berardinelli