Once upon a time in Norway: film misses a lesson about social conformism
Pål Aasdal, Martin Ledang “Once upon a time in Norway” (2007) This one-hour film is a straightforward blow-by-blow chronological account of the early career of Mayhem,…
Northern European Films
Reviews of films from Finland, Greenland, Iceland and countries traditionally considered part of Scandinavia (Denmark Norway, Sweden). I’ve included Estonia and Latvia in this category as these countries have historic links to Sweden.
Medea (dir. Lars von Trier): human struggle against forces of Nature and God in a beautiful and emotional film
Lars von Trier, “Medea” (1988) Originally made for TV and with a script based on that other famous Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s adaptation of Euripides’s play “Medea”, this…
WikiRebels: competent documentary on Wikileaks brushes the surface to maintain “balance”
Jesper Huor and Bosse Lindquist, “WikiRebels” (2010) Made for Sveriges Television AB (SVT), this documentary traces the rise of Wikileaks, the global non-profit media organisation that…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
The Sampo: good-looking film with a moral let down by watered-down story and wooden acting
Risto Orko and Alexander Ptushko, “The Sampo” (1959) A joint Finnish-Soviet fantasy production aimed at a family audience, “The Sampo” is a very loose retelling of…
Eastern European Films, Northern European Films
Pilot Pirx’s Inquest: thoughtful low-budget sci-fi film about how humans and other intelligent beings can co-exist
Marek Pestrak, “Pilot Pirx’s Inquest” / “Test Pilota Pirxa” / “Doznanie Pilota Pirksa” (1979) A joint Polish-Estonian production, this low-budget movie about a space trip that nearly ends…
Dead Snow: a mishmash of previous zombie movie plot twist and character stereotypes
Tommy Wirkola, “Dead Snow” (2009) For laughs, gore and stunning mountain scenery you can’t go past zombie comedy flick “Dead Snow” but there isn’t much else…
Frostbiten: comedy/horror vampire story lacking in teeth
Anders Banke, “Frostbiten” (2006) ‘Tis a Swedish vampire movie that begins with a shot of the night sky against which light snow is seen falling softly…
Corruption, authoritarianism, oppression of women and intolerance are a hidden presence in “Häxan: Witchcraft through the Ages”
Benjamin Christensen, “Häxan: Witchcraft through the Ages” (1922) Intended as a study on how superstition and lack of knowledge about mental illness could have led to…
The Man without a Past: heart-warming comedy about need for “identity” to survive in modern society
Aki Kaurismäki, “The Man without a Past” (2002) A heart-warming comedy about a man who is beaten up and left for dead but survives only to…
Brink of Life: sympathetic and unromantic 1950’s investigation of pregnancy and childbirth
Ingmar Bergman, “Brink of Life” (1958) Even in these supposedly more “liberal” times when no topic seems taboo to speak about openly, a director, male or…