Jørgen Langhelle Movies
- 2008
A young man finds that the current political turmoil in Eastern Europe bears uncanny comparisons to his own rocky homosexual awakening in The Man Who Loved Yngve, Stiane Kristiansen's emotionally-charged tale of coming out in late 1980s Europe. For 17-year-old Jarle Klepp, it seems life could not possibly improve; as a resident of the small town of Stavanger, Norway, Jarle sits on the very cusp of adulthood. He also claims a gorgeous girlfriend and a hip best friend, and looks ahead eagerly to his plans to kick start a punk band called 'Mattias Rust.' In truth, however, Jarle harbors long-buried gay desires, and it takes another young man - a village newcomer called Yngve - to draw out these latent feelings. Suddenly, Jarle finds himself plunged headfirst into a maelstrom of conflicting feelings, desires, and impulses, led forward only by an overwhelming urge to be as close to Yngve as possible, all the time. In the end, Jarle's need to be true to himself may claim its own rewards, but it will also inevitably mean losing the security of approval from many around him. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rolf Kristian Larsen, Arthur Berning, (more)
- 2008
Norwegian director Nils Gaup takes the helm for this sweeping Nordic epic tracing the struggle of the indigenous Sami people against the Swedish exploiters who reap the profits of their misery and desperation. Swedish entrepreneur Ruth (Mikael Persbrandt) is the proprietor of a Kautokeino trading post that also doubles as a popular pub. It's one of the few places that the semi-nomadic Sami can go to purchase essential living supplies and knock back a few drinks. The situation gets complicated when alcoholism begins to run rampant among the Sami men, the reindeer herds are neglected, and the women prove incapable of taking on the responsibility due to their depleted numbers. Enraged by her people's indifference and disturbed by her husband Mathis (Aslat Mahtte Gaup)' constant state of drunkenness, obstinate Sami Elen (Anni-Kristiina Juuso) determines to invoke a positive change by encouraging her husband and neighbors to purchase their supplies from the neighboring town of Karesuando. Once there, the group is taken by the fire and brimstone sermons of charismatic preacher Laestadius (Michael Nyqvist), who condemns the sins of alcohol and vice. Their eyes suddenly opened, Mathis vows to put down the bottle and Elen begins preaching Laestadius' word around Kautokeino. As a result, Ruth's business suffers and a new pastor arrives in town to quell the dissent. This development doesn't sit too well with the outspoken Elen, who gathers the rest of the Sami and leads the march to Ruth's to settle the matter once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anni-Kristiina Juuso, Mikal Gaup, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Trygve Diesen, Tyven, Tyven ("Hold My Heart") follows the tense relationship between a father and his young daughter. The father, Harald (Jorgen Langhelle), has divorced Cecilie (Andrea Braein Hovig, his wife, after an ugly breakup which involved accusations of spousal abuse and child molesting. Furious, Harald kidnaps his 7-year-old daughter, Lisa (Vera Rudi), who he has been forbidden any contact with. Over the course of a few days, the father and daughter grow closer. The police, meanwhile, have organized a manhunt for Harald, and only one policewoman believes he is not a dangerous man.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jørgen Langhelle, Vera Rudi, (more)
Ole Bornedal directs the drama I Am Dina, based on the novel by Herbjørg Wassmo. In Northern Norway during the 1860s, a little girl named Dina accidentally causes her mother's death. Overcome with grief, her father (Bjørn Floberg) refuses to raise her, leaving her in the care of the household servants. Dina grows up wild and unmanageable, with her only friend being the stable boy, Tomas (Hans Matheson). She summons her mother's ghost and develops a strange fascination with death as well as a passion for living. Family friend Jacob (Gérard Depardieu) encourages Dina's father to hire Lorch (Søren Sætter-Lassen), a tutor who introduces her to the cello. When Dina is old enough (played by Maria Bonnevie), she marries Jacob and moves to Reinsnes, a port he runs with his mother, Karen (Wenche Foss), and his stepsons Niels (Mads Mikkelsen) and Anders (Jørgen Langhelle). Niels doesn't like Dina's wild ways, or the fact that she has taken over accounting duties at Reinsnes. Dina's eccentric tendencies become even stronger, eventually leading Jacob into an accident of his own and bringing Tomas back into her life. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Bonnevie, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
Following up on his acclaimed debut Absolute Hangover, Petter Naess spins this feel-good drama about a pair of misfits trying to get along with each other and the outside world. Elling (Per Christian Ellefsen) is a neurotic, shy would-be writer who still lives with his mother. That is at least until she dies, and poor Elling is cast of the house by the health department and sent to state institution. While Elling has no experience with the outside world -- though he has a very active interior world -- his roommate Kjell Bjarne is a sex-obsessed hulk mass of a man raring to get out. Initially, these two wildly different guys get along famously. Only when they move into public housing together do cracks develop in their relationship. Elling refuses to leave the apartment or answer the phone, and tries to restrict Kjell-Bjarne's movement as well. When the brawny lothario shacks up with the girl next door, Elling goes ballistic with jealousy. Does Elling accept his lack of control of the world or does he retreat into himself? This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Per Christian Ellefsen, Sven Nordin, (more)
- 1998
Well-known Norwegian author Torun Lian adapted her award-winning novella for the screen in Bare Skyer Beveger Stjernene, a children's story about eleven-year-old Maria, who has lost her little brother to cancer. Maria's mother has totally withdrawn in grief and her father is struggling to keep the family together. Maria meets Jacob, who is the same age but has a different character. He is an outgoing and funny boy with wisdom beyond his years. He pulls Maria out of her shell and helps her make a decision which will affect her entire life. Bare Skyer Beveger Stjernene, which shares the sensibilities of the Swedish hit My Life as a Dog, tackles a serious subject with humor and wisdom, and the emotional ingredients will appeal to all ages. The film was screened as part of the Children's Film festival at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thea Sofie Rusten, Jan Tore Kristoffersen, (more)
- 1998
Carl Jorgen Kionig directed this Norwegian police thriller, winner of the Norwegian Amanda award for the year's best film. Axel Hellstenius' screenplay is adapted from a novel by Norway's justice minister Anne Holt. Lesbian policewoman Hanne Wilhelmsen (Kjersti Elvik), who has a live-in lover, tools about Oslo on her Harley-Davidson. After a number of women vanish, police find blood but no bodies, and Wilhelmsen begins a search for the suspected serial killer. Holt's crime novels are a popular, successful series, providing the source for a TV miniseries, Blind Goddess, also directed by Kionig with the same principal cast seen in this feature. Shown at the 1998 Haugesund Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kjersti Elvik, Lasse Lolsrud, (more)
- 1996
This mellow comedy is the third entry in filmmaker Anja Breien's "Wives" series and stars the same three actresses who appeared in the first two. This episodic film begins with flashbacks to the 1975 film Wives in which the trio were having lively debates of marriage vs. Free love and scenes from 1985's Wives: Ten Years Later where all three coped with the realities of aging. Now ten more years have passed and they are comfortably ensconced in middle age. They have gathered to hold a surprise birthday aboard an Oslo streetcar. They party is for Katja. The three haven't seen each other in ages and much of the story focuses on their discussions of their disparate lives. Every word, smile and tear they share affirms the depth of their lasting friendship. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
