In Cool and Crazy, we meet a group of Norwegian men who are all a part of the men's choir in a little town called Berlevåg in Finnmark. In between their performances, we get to hear some of the members talk about their lives and how they ended up in the little isolated town that has about 1,000 inhabitants. We get to follow them on a tour to Murmansk in Russia, where they seem to be very popular. The director Knut-Erik Jensen's unique way of portraying the individual characters, themes, and culture in this documentary makes it an enjoyable experience for someone that appreciates the northern Norwegian way of life.
The characters in this movie all have their own individual characteristics; however, they all share the stereotypical northern Norway attitude. They speak what's on their mind and they have a way with words that makes them come off as a little obnoxious. To an outsider, this behavior can be frightening or unpleasant, but this is a part of the culture and should not be taken personally. I think their unique humor and behavior is a huge part of this film that will disappear if the movie is watched with subtitles.
I would say the main theme in this movie is solidarity. One of the members in the choir claims that he would not be living in Berlevåg if it weren't for the choir. To me, living in a town only because you are a member of the choir requires some strong bonds. There is also a big gap between the oldest and the youngest person in the choir, and the older men show gratitude towards the treatment they get from the younger members. My experience with people from northern Norway is exactly that: they stick together and take care of each other. Solidarity is a key word in Norwegian culture and this movie illustrates the importance of this value.
This movie does a really good job of portraying the culture of a small town and the atmosphere of isolation in northern Norway. There is an eccentric vibe that is a result of the positive attitude to life that is typically found in this particular part of the country. The landscape is beautiful and by contrasting it with the grey and rocky landscape in Murmansk, Jensen is able to highlight the extreme environment that Finnmark offers. Most places in Norway are strongly influenced by other cultures; however, this movie proves that, due to the characters' traditional lifestyle, the influence has not reached all parts of Norway.
Jensen, originally from Finnmark, does an extremely good job of portraying the northern way of life. We get to see the choir perform songs in places that aim to emphasize the scenery in Finnmark. In between the performances we see personal interviews with some of the choir members. The filming during these interviews is very natural with a hand-held camera, which give the viewer a feeling of being present at the filming. In contrast, the performances were filmed with artificial light and a steady camera that made it look very professional. Jensen's use of close ups and varied camera angles allows the viewer to get personal with the characters they recognize from the interviews. Jensen's approach of portraying his message in this documentary is not the typical BBC approach. Instead of illustrating with facts, he lets the audience experience for themselves how the people in Berlevåg live their life.
Cool and Crazy is a documentary that seeks to capture the mysterious atmosphere of a small town in northern Norway. I think Jensen manages to do exactly that by getting personal with the characters and letting them talk freely about the aspects of life that interest them. Personally, I enjoyed the movie; however, I feel like it would have been hard to capture the detail around the special dynamics and atmosphere if I were unexposed to the northern Norwegian culture. Even more so, if I did not speak the language and were unable to pick up on the dialect and the unique humor and behavior that comes with it, I think I would have had a hard time sitting through it. Losing this aspect of the movie would make a huge difference.
The characters in this movie all have their own individual characteristics; however, they all share the stereotypical northern Norway attitude. They speak what's on their mind and they have a way with words that makes them come off as a little obnoxious. To an outsider, this behavior can be frightening or unpleasant, but this is a part of the culture and should not be taken personally. I think their unique humor and behavior is a huge part of this film that will disappear if the movie is watched with subtitles.
I would say the main theme in this movie is solidarity. One of the members in the choir claims that he would not be living in Berlevåg if it weren't for the choir. To me, living in a town only because you are a member of the choir requires some strong bonds. There is also a big gap between the oldest and the youngest person in the choir, and the older men show gratitude towards the treatment they get from the younger members. My experience with people from northern Norway is exactly that: they stick together and take care of each other. Solidarity is a key word in Norwegian culture and this movie illustrates the importance of this value.
This movie does a really good job of portraying the culture of a small town and the atmosphere of isolation in northern Norway. There is an eccentric vibe that is a result of the positive attitude to life that is typically found in this particular part of the country. The landscape is beautiful and by contrasting it with the grey and rocky landscape in Murmansk, Jensen is able to highlight the extreme environment that Finnmark offers. Most places in Norway are strongly influenced by other cultures; however, this movie proves that, due to the characters' traditional lifestyle, the influence has not reached all parts of Norway.
Jensen, originally from Finnmark, does an extremely good job of portraying the northern way of life. We get to see the choir perform songs in places that aim to emphasize the scenery in Finnmark. In between the performances we see personal interviews with some of the choir members. The filming during these interviews is very natural with a hand-held camera, which give the viewer a feeling of being present at the filming. In contrast, the performances were filmed with artificial light and a steady camera that made it look very professional. Jensen's use of close ups and varied camera angles allows the viewer to get personal with the characters they recognize from the interviews. Jensen's approach of portraying his message in this documentary is not the typical BBC approach. Instead of illustrating with facts, he lets the audience experience for themselves how the people in Berlevåg live their life.
Cool and Crazy is a documentary that seeks to capture the mysterious atmosphere of a small town in northern Norway. I think Jensen manages to do exactly that by getting personal with the characters and letting them talk freely about the aspects of life that interest them. Personally, I enjoyed the movie; however, I feel like it would have been hard to capture the detail around the special dynamics and atmosphere if I were unexposed to the northern Norwegian culture. Even more so, if I did not speak the language and were unable to pick up on the dialect and the unique humor and behavior that comes with it, I think I would have had a hard time sitting through it. Losing this aspect of the movie would make a huge difference.