I saw this in the cinemas around the time it opened, where there were about three other people present - perhaps an indication of this film's lack of an audience. Charlotte is a young dancer without a clear direction who on a whim falls in love with her half-brother. The films turns into a sister/brother love drama, Anne Sewitsky's latest film has a nice soundtrack, cinematography and at times great locations and scenery from wintery Oslo.
But that's where all the positives end. This rather rosy incest fantasy goes horribly wrong inn the execution. The acting from the lead and co-stars is uneven and awkward, ranging from amateurish play by boyfriends and friends to forced 'happy' montages that strike me as inherently fake. Not to blame them; actors' aren't really given much to work with; the script and dialogue is inconsistent and so full of trite clichés, sentences and awkward pauses that makes a Jon Fosse play seem a dazzling circus show by comparison.
The old need for 'suspense of disbelief' comes into play here. Like other Sewitsky films this one too offers no back story, explanation or justification for any of the actions of the main characters. The film also fails to offer up any reasons for Charlotte's troubled background rather than old tropes like the dying dad or the uncaring mom. Dialogue gives us no clues, and characters never interact in any meaningful way. The result is something that tries to play like a meaningful drama but ends up like a disconnected, awkward black comedy, somewhat a cliché of Scandinavian cinema.
The movie is profoundly confusing on every level. The worst scenes are the sex scenes; prolonged and pointless; failing to achieve anything interesting with characters or plot.
As a result this is a film with a little style but no substance.
But that's where all the positives end. This rather rosy incest fantasy goes horribly wrong inn the execution. The acting from the lead and co-stars is uneven and awkward, ranging from amateurish play by boyfriends and friends to forced 'happy' montages that strike me as inherently fake. Not to blame them; actors' aren't really given much to work with; the script and dialogue is inconsistent and so full of trite clichés, sentences and awkward pauses that makes a Jon Fosse play seem a dazzling circus show by comparison.
The old need for 'suspense of disbelief' comes into play here. Like other Sewitsky films this one too offers no back story, explanation or justification for any of the actions of the main characters. The film also fails to offer up any reasons for Charlotte's troubled background rather than old tropes like the dying dad or the uncaring mom. Dialogue gives us no clues, and characters never interact in any meaningful way. The result is something that tries to play like a meaningful drama but ends up like a disconnected, awkward black comedy, somewhat a cliché of Scandinavian cinema.
The movie is profoundly confusing on every level. The worst scenes are the sex scenes; prolonged and pointless; failing to achieve anything interesting with characters or plot.
As a result this is a film with a little style but no substance.