Elling(15)

Programme Notes

DIRECTED BY: Petter Naess
STARRING
Per Christian Ellefsen
Sven Nordin
Marit Pia Jacobsen

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 29 minutes
LANGUAGE: In Norwegian
Subtitled in English

It is reported that Trigger Street - Kevin Spacey's production company - is all set for a US remake of the film. If you consider that many view Elling as the Norwegian version of The Odd Couple it is easy to see the attraction. However, Elling is much more than that, as evidenced by a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination (losing out to No Man's Land). Quite how a gentle comedy that celebrates eccentricity will fare with American scriptwriters hardly bears thinking about. It is possible that a pleasant surprise may be in store, but why take the risk and why wait?

The following review is substantially based on that provided by James Berardinelli - www.movie-reviews.colossus.net and Pam Grady - www.reel.com.

The forty-something Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen) has spent his entire life in the womb-like safety of his mother's home. Falling apart at her death, he's committed to a mental hospital where he's paired with the hulking, oversexed Kjell-Bjarne (Sven Nordin). An unlikely pair, they nevertheless become friends when the sheltered, inexperienced Elling displays a talent for spinning wild, erotic tales involving cruise-ship brothels and sexcapades on motorbikes.

Elling may be light-hearted in approach but it 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.

Director Petter Næss and his stars Ellefsen and Nordin have lived with Elling for several years now, and it shows. Based on a Norwegian best-seller, Elling began life as a play - directed on the Oslo stage by Næss and featuring Ellefsen and Nordin - that took place entirely within the confines of Elling and Kjell-Bjarne's apartment. Screenwriter Axel Hellstenius has opened up the story, even adding an adventure to the countryside. The changes help immeasurably, both in making the tale more cinematic and in illustrating the characters' growth as they venture out into the world. But this is very much a character-driven story which rides largely on the unstable shoulders of Elling and Kjell-Bjarne. In the hands of a less gifted director (or actors) it would be easy for Elling to stumble into parody, but Ellefsen and Nordin slide into these characters like they are a second skin.

In particular, Ellefsen's performance in the title role is transcendent. Elling is not an easy character to play. He's a collection of tics, phobias, and abrupt behaviors; essentially goodhearted, but also self-pitying, self-absorbed, and given to fits of whining envy. Ellefsen has the challenge of making not only this extreme character seem real, but also likeable. He delivers with a performance that emphasizes Elling's warmth and vulnerability while exposing the surprises waiting under the scarred surface - an acerbic sense of humor and an unforeseen strength.

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