08/02/2009

North [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rune Denstad Langlo
film profile], the opening film of the Panorama Special and the only Norwegian film of the 2009 Berlinale, looks like a true sleeper hit for sales company Memento Films. Very warmly welcomed at its first two festival screenings, the snowy road movie is a self-assured feature debut for documentary filmmaker Rune Denstad Langlo.

North is the story of Jomar (Anders Maasmo Christiansen), who has a nervous breakdown. When he learns he might be the father of a child he sets off on a journey north to meet him, first on a snowmobile, then on skis, with his antidepressants, five litres of alcohol and lots of cigarettes in tow. Along his epic trip off the main roads, he meets colourful characters, all living in total isolation: a teenage girl with her grandmother, a young man who teaches him an unforgettable trick of how to get drunk without drinking (putting an alcohol-soaked tampon on top of the head) and an 80 year-old Sami in his lavvu.

The story, penned by acclaimed Norwegian writer Erlend Loe (Gone with the Woman [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), was developed with the director, based on his own idea and personal experiences. “I was going through a bad period in my life and when that happens you often get ideas”, admits Lenglo. “Then I saw Into the Wild. It made me confident that we had something with North.”

The film skilfully avoids getting lost in the psychological drama and perfectly balances the melancholic with the comical. Langlo has furthermore used his documentary background to transform the icy northern landscape into a dramatic character in its own right and non-professional actors (apart from the lead) into credible and touching human souls.

The film was produced by established production house Motlys (The Man Who Loved Yngve [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) with support from the Norwegian Film, Institute, Midnord Film Centre, Filmcamp, and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Sandrew Metronome opened it domestically last Friday.