Unni Straume Movies
Norwegian Unni Straume spent the first 11 years of her professional career as a director of documentary film in her native Norway, prior to the production of her first feature film entitled Til en Ukjent (To an Unknown) filmed in 1990. ~ All Movie Guide- 2002
In this eccentric comedy drama from Norway, Sara (Lena Endre) is a successful author who was married to Peter (Bjørn Floberg), an architect, until the death of their only child pushed their relationship to the breaking point. Sara lives in a large house by the ocean which Peter designed, while he lives with his new wife, Helen (Petronella Barker). Sara has started renting out space in the basement of her house to Bogdan (Goran Bregovic), a refugee from Serbia who is trying to makes ends meet as a musician. When Peter learns that Sara has a border, he pays her a visit to express his indignation, and later that night Peter is found in the basement, shot dead. As Sara tries to clean up the scene of the murder, a steady stream of women who knew Peter happen by, including Helen and his "other woman" Kaja (Rebecka Hemse), while Bogdan and a large group of friends come by to play some gypsy tunes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lena Endre, Bjørn Floberg, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Based on a short story by noted Norwegian writer Oystein Lonn, Thranes Metode/Thrane's Method concerns the slowly developing attraction between two people living in the same apartment building. Thrane (Bjorn Sundquist) has money but no job, and has spent much of his life drifting from one place to another. He's infatuated with his upstairs neighbor, a jazz fan named Molly (Petronella Barker), despite the fact that she's married. However, her husband is frequently gone, and, with time, Molly finds herself drawn to Thrane, as well. Thranes Metode/Thrane's Method boasts a soundtrack of classic Charles Mingus sides (thanks to Molly's admirable taste in music) and received its American premier at the 1999 New Directors/New Films showcase in New York; it was also screened at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Björn Sundquist, Petronella Barker, (more)
- 1994
This artistically produced Swedish philosophical drama, filmed in black-and-white, is adapted from Strindberg's 1902 play. Using a combination of Biblical reference, classic mythology, and poetry it depicts God's daughter as she reflects upon the state of humanity. Agnes descends from Heaven to survey earthbound mortals about the cause of their pain and sadness. Initially, Agnes is carefree, but she cannot remain unaffected by the surrounding tragedy and becomes more serious. She ends up marrying an impoverished and dour lawyer. They dwell in a claustrophobic cellar with their new baby. The feature film at the local cinema stars Victoria. A frequent movie-goer tells Agnes of his love for the beautiful actress Victoria. He soon gets to meet her. Agnes then meets a dark poet who warns her that if she continues to wade in the morass of human existence the effects upon her may be permanent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ingvild Holm, Bjorn Willberg Andersen, (more)
- 1990
This placid, meditative movie explores the process by which a thoughtful young woman takes stock of her life. Ane (Hilde Aarö) has been living in the city, but really wants to get her bearings before moving on in life. She travels with a fairly eccentric composer back to the oceanside village of her childhood, and begins to revisit some of the places there that were of importance to her. As she travels to these places, she has memories of her childhood, which are shown as flashbacks. By the ocean, she finds the small cranny in the rocks where she hid a bottle which contained notes she wrote in Russian "to a stranger." This low-key black-and-white film benefits tremendously from it's well-thought-out, carefully composed cinematography. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
