Tom Remlov Movies
- 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)
Berlevag is a small city in the far north of Norway. The town has fallen on hard economic times in recent years, and many of the city's younger citizens have moved away in hopes of finding a better life elsewhere, but Berlevag still has one thing it can point to with pride -- the Berlevag Male Choir, a men's chorus that has found acclaim both at home in Norway and on concert tours overseas. Heftig Og Begeistret is a documentary directed by Knut Erik Jensen that offers an inside look at the men of the choir, whose vocalists range in age from students in their early twenties to one man in his mid-nineties, as well as the city that brought them together. Heftig Og Begeistret shows the choir performing at home in Berlevag (often outdoors, regardless of the weather), as well as on tour in Russia, where they are received with wild enthusiasm. Despite its subject and approach, neither of which would seemingly guarantee a hit at the box office, Heftig Og Begeistret turned out to be a surprise box-office success in Norway, and was warmly received at the 2001 Gothenburg Film Festival in Sweden. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Hot young Norwegian filmmaker Catrine Telle directs this bizarre tale about a young lass who gets struck in the eye by a soccer ball. When she wakes up in a hospital bed, she sees everything double and soon starts to think of herself as the only one in the world who is in an un-plural state. She learns to deal with her twin sisters, her pair of identical boyfriends, and this weird couple of guys she obsessed over when she was single-sighted. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laila Goody
Set in Norway and Scotland, Aberdeen is a road movie that is as concerned with the geography of the heart as that of a topographical map. Kaisa (Lena Headey) is an ambitious lawyer who has just celebrated her recent promotion by having dominant sex with a man whose name she has no interest in learning. When her estranged mother, Helen (Charlotte Rampling), whom she hasn't been in contact with for a decade, calls her up to tell her that she is dying of cancer, Kaisa is faced with her mother's request to track down her divorced husband, Tomas (Stellan Skarsgard). A raging drunk, Tomas has been frequenting the pubs of Norway for a number of years, and Kaisa, after some initial hesitation, sets out for Oslo to find him. When she is finally reunited with Tomas, his drunkenness prevents them from being allowed on the flight back to Aberdeen, where her mother is hospitalized. Kaisa and Tomas embark on an overland journey that takes them across Norway and on a ferry to England, with Tomas drinking constantly and Kaisa discovering something that may be love with a self-effacing truck driver (Ian Hart). ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stellan Skarsgård, Lena Headey, (more)
- 1999
Accepted practices and new ideas face off against each other in this historical drama about a father, his daughter, and a mysterious stranger. In Northern Sweden in 1820, the widowed Dr. Selander (Rolf Lassgard) lives with his 20-year-old daughter Maria (Johanna Sallstrom), who has been blind for the past decade. One day, a Danish traveler named Meisner (Ole Lemmeke) appears in town, claiming to be an expert magnetist who can use his skills to heal the sick. While many in town are sure Meisner is a con artist, Selander welcomes him into his home. After spending time with Maria, Meisner discovers that her blindness is a psychological response to a traumatic event -- she was raped by Russian soldiers when her town was sacked ten years before. Maria's sight returns, and Meisner claims it was the result of his skills in magnetism. This leads to a blossoming romance between Meisner and Maria, much to the annoyance of Stenius (Gard B. Eidsvold), a partner of Selander who also had his eye on the girl. Impressive production design and fine performances highlight this international production. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ole Lemmeke, Rolf Lassgård, (more)
- 1999
- R
In this crime drama from Norway that's laced with dark comedy, a young woman with Down's syndrome is found raped and murdered in a small working-class town, and a detective from Oslo is brought in to investigate. The key suspects are two brothers; one of them is found dead, drowned in a nearby river, while the other is missing. However, there are more than a few other possible perpetrators in town, and the detective tries to question as many as he can. But this is not a place where strangers are made to feel welcome, and the detective begins to wonder if he might be the next fatality. 1732 Hotten (aka Bloody Angels was the feature debut from director Karin Julsrud. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reidar Sorensen, Gaute Skjegstad, (more)
- 1997
In this Norwegian children's film, young Maya (May Thali Magnussen Liberman) lives with her parents in Oslo. The child sees visions of Indians when she imagines herself as a Mayan. Maya's mother leaves after discovering her husband is cheating on her, prompting Maya to devise a plan that will bring her mother and father back together. Shown at the 1997 Berlin Film Festival's Kinderfest and the 1997 Haugesund Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- May Thali Magnussen Liberman, Siri Nilsen, (more)
- 1997
Dimwitted, somewhat misanthropic Oslo mail carrier Roy's quiet life changes dramatically on the day he steals a set of keys and lets himself into the apartment of a deaf woman who seems to be in trouble with a psychotic criminal. Though he doesn't know it at the time, his and her fate are about to intertwine and this is not going to be to his benefit. A combination black comedy and thriller, the film presents a view of the seedy side of Oslo that is seldom seen by tourists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Skjærstad, Andrine Saether, (more)
- 1997
In Northern Norway during and just after WW II, regions are liberated by the Soviet Red Army. With Norwegian-Russian anti-Nazi solidarity, young fisherman Simon (Stig Henrik Hoff) is recruited as a KGB spy, trained in Russia, and sent home. But rumors of his spy activities circulate, creating problems with girlfriend Lilian (Gorild Mauseth) and his other friends. The film features Norwegian, Russian, German, and English dialogue. Shown at the 1997 Haugsund Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stig Henrik Hoff, Gorild Mauseth, (more)
Norwegian filmmaker Erik Skjoldbjaerg makes his directorial debut with the psychological police drama Insomnia. Swedish homicide detective Jonas Engström (Stellan Skarsgård) and his partner, Erik Vik (Sverre Anker Ousdal), arrive in a small Northern Norwegian town to help the local police investigate the murder of a teenage girl. When Jonas finds the girl's backpack, he sets a trap for the killer near a remote shed. While waiting to make an ambush in the morning fog, Jonas accidentally shoots Erik. He knows it was only an accident, but he decides to keep it a secret because he could lose his job. Jonas chooses to carry on with his investigation while trying to cover up the evidence of Erik's death. Meanwhile, he's unable to get any sleep due to the constant sunlight of the Norwegian summer and his increasingly guilty conscience. His only help comes from highly intuitive local police officer Hilda Haugen (Gisken Armand), who begins to form her own doubts about Jonas. As he continues to lose his grip on the case at hand, he becomes dangerously close to the suspects, Jon Holt (Bjørn Floberg) and Frøya (Marianne O. Ulrichsen). Filmmaker Christopher Nolan directed the English-language remake of Insomnia in 2002 with Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stellan Skarsgård, Gisken Armand, (more)
