Kristoffer Joner Movies

As a rule, many tend to think of Norway as a neutral country with a passive military. But in a couple of historical instances, the Norwegian army engaged in acts of controversial brutality by opening fire on innocent locals. This sweeping epic drama from director Marius Holst recreates one such tragedy. The year is 1915; the place is a remote fjord just outside of Oslo, where an institution called the Bastoy Boys' Home is situated. Functioning as both a residence for youths from dysfunctional or impoverished homes and a reform school, it is guilty of routine acts of sadistic brutality meted out for even the most inconsequential of crimes, such as pilfering money from a church collection plate. It also operates according to a warped and twisted deviation of evangelical Christianity that involves viscerally abusing young charges into becoming faithful believers. Perhaps most unbearable is the atmosphere of extreme dehumanization: Administrators rob the boys of their names and tag them with arbitrary numbers. As the story opens, a newcomer arrives -- a whaler named Erling (Benjamin Helstad), who is alleged to have committed homicide. In no time at all, he stirs up trouble wherever he goes, as he does battle with the school governor (Stellan Skarsgard), confronts the sexually abusive dorm master (Kristoffer Joner), and expands the horizons of sincere but troubled dorm leader Olav (Trond Nilssen). Before long, Erling drums up the spirit of revolution in the school hallways. Many of the boys are delighted to find a courageous leader who will help them stand up to injustice, but no one can anticipate the punishment that the government has in store for the hell-raisers. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A lonely apartment-dweller who was recently abandoned by his longtime girlfriend finds his sanity slipping as his friendship with the two mysterious women next door takes a seductively sinister turn in director Pål Sletaune's dark tale of obsession and paranoia. When John's girlfriend walks out on him, he soon begins to form a neighborly friendship with the two women who live in the cluttered apartment next door. That friendship soon takes an ominous turn, however, when one of the women seduces John with a punishing blow to the jaw that sends a series of disturbing repressed memories flooding back into the confused man's swimming head. As John begins to fall into his feral seducer's sadistic trap, gradually finds himself questioning the strange reality that seems to have swallowed him body and soul. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Norwegian filmmaker Pål Øie directs the horror thriller Villmark (Dark Woods). Shot with digital video on location in Kaupanger, Norway, the film follows the cast of "Real TV" as they're haunted by an evil presence in the wilderness. In order to prepare for a reality show, intense television producer Gunnar (Bjørn Floberg) requires his subjects to spend a week in his secluded cabin. The four characters include best friends Lasse (Kristoffer Joner) and Per (Marko Kanic), along with Swedish Elin (Eva Röse) and new girl Sara (Sampda Sharma). They start to encounter strange things leading up to the discovery of a dead body and the eventual disbanding of their crew. Dark Woods was shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival market. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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, Rovi