Sverre Anker Ousdal Movies

Writer-director Isabel Coixet's (My Life Without Me) beautifully wrought chamber drama The Secret Life of Words opens on Hanna (Sarah Polley), a laconic, backward and introverted girl in her early '30s, quietly drowning in her own isolation. Partially deaf from working an untold number of hours in a loud factory, Hanna must wear a hearing aid. When her supervisors -- deeply concerned about the four years that have lapsed in Hanna's life without a break -- force her to go on holiday for a month, she hesitantly takes off for a coastal village in the north of Ireland. Once there, she decides to dine in a local restaurant, and overhears, by chance, a telephone conversation conducted by Victor (Eddie Marsan), regarding an accident on a nearby oil rig that he precipitated, which left a victim, Josef (Tim Robbins) in its wake. Hanna tells Victor that she is a nurse, and is instantly flown to the rig to treat the bedbound Josef -- temporarily blind from extensive cornea damage, and his body blanketed with severe burns. She also encounters the structure's motley and eccentric band of workers -- from ecologist Martin (Daniel Mays), who spends his time studying mutated mussels that collect on the ship's base and the waves that strike the side of the rig, to Josef, to chef Simon (Javier Camára), who prepares "gourmet" food no one else can stand, to Dimitri (Sverre Anker Ousdal), an elderly gentleman who is as much of a loner as Hanna. As Hanna begins to foresee a new place for herself among these individuals, a relationship gradually develops between Hanna and Josef, who holds his new friend rapt with lyrical, evocative, magisterial tales from his past -- unknowingly drawing Hanna, one step at a time, toward inner joy, self-expression, and revelation of her own sad and complex story. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Folk Flest Bor I Kina (Most People Live in China) is a political satire from Norway, consisting of nine separate episodes each reflecting a different Norwegian political party. The central figure is lonely rural gas station owner Lasse (Trond Hovik), who is somehow brought into each segment. The stories include "Lasses drom," "Dressman," "Grenselos Kjaerlighet," "Hemat," "Den Lille Bedriften," "Redd Barna," "Pokemon Power," "Passasjerne," and "De Beste Gar Forst." ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Berit Nesheim directs this Norwegian thriller about a woman who discovers a corpse in a river and does not report it. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This powerful Scandinavian biopic chronicles the fall of one of Norway's most respected authors, Knut Hamsun (played by Max von Sydow in one of his most acclaimed performances) who up until WW II was considered one of the greatest Norwegians of the 20th century. At the dawn of the war, the Nobel Prize winning author shocked his countrymen by publicly siding with the Nazis. His wife Marie took it a step further and went to Germany to give lectures. Following the war, both were convicted and branded as traitors. Hamsun attempts to answer the questions surrounding the author and his wife's treachery. By the time the war erupted, Hamsun was an elderly curmudgeon who could barely hear. A profoundly lonely man with hatred of British Imperialism, he was an easy target for Nazi propaganda. His wife Marie, who in Norway is still more vilified than her husband, also had her reasons to support the German party, but while though-provoking, they don't invite much sympathy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This medieval period drama from Norway is based on Scandinavian-author Sigrid Undset's classic novel. The story is set in Norway's Gudbrandsdal valley during the 14th century. The tale begins when Kristin is 7-years-old and living a peaceful, relatively happy life with her family. It has not always been so happy though, as her parents have already buried three sons and nearly lost Kristin's little sister in a logging accident. Though still quite young, Kristin has been betrothed to marry Simon Darre, a wealthy neighbor's son. Unfortunately, the young girl already prefers the company of Arne to Simon. Time passes and Kristin suffers an attempted rape in the forest. She is confused by the act and asks her family to send her to a convent. Later the young woman sees a handsome knight, Erlend Nikulausson, and falls head-over-heels. Unfortunately, Erlend has more pressing romantic problems trying to deal with his previous lover. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Tove and Claes Salefalk (Helena Bergstrom and Reine Bynolfsson) and Liselott and Lennart Waltner (Ewa Froling and Peter Andersson) have known one another for years. At one time the two couples were good friends, but they have drifted apart recently. Both couples compete internationally as ballroom dancers, and both are very good, but the Waltners are better. They keep winning competition after competition, leaving the Salefalks in the dust. After a while, Tove just can't bear it, which is why, by the time they gather for the funeral of Claes' mother, they haven't spoken for almost a year. Meeting at the funeral, they attempt to renew their relationship, and take a vacation together in Barbados. However, close proximity only makes the tension worse. Another thing which bugs Tove is that she is sterile and can't have children, while Liselott gets pregnant and has one abortion after another. Things come to a head during a competition at Blackpool, an oceanside resort in northern England. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

British character actor Alfred Molina contributes another top-rank characterization in Virtuoso. Molina essays the role of real-life concert pianist John Ogden. The film touches briefly upon Ogden's performing genius, then takes a dark turn by concentrating on his descent into mental illness. Alison Steadman co-stars in this made-for-British-TV production. Virtuoso was first seen in the US over the A&E cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this action drama, after putting in a full shift, two deep sea divers return to the deep to perform a quick repair to a piece of equipment and wind up trapped 100 yards below the surface for hours, and before long they are cut off from the lines which connect them to the surface. Frantic efforts are made by those on the surface to find some way to rescue them before their air completely runs out. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Beryl Markham: Shadow on the Sun was a two-part TV movie originally telecast in May of 1988. Stefanie Powers is right in her element as the real-life Beryl Markham, an Englishwoman living in Kenya with her family. Bucking the male-dominated Kenyan social structure, Beryl becomes the first woman in Africa to train horses on a professional level. And in 1936, she thrills the world by being the first aviatrix to fly from England to the US across the Atlantic. With four hours to fill, the film is obligated to trace Beryl's love life, which (according to the script) was not always as rewarding as her public accomplishments. Inasmuch as Beryl was a contemporary (and friendly rival) of author Karen Blixen--better known as Isaak Dinesen--Beryl Markham: Shadow on the Sun contrives to include several characters introduced in Out of Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on an Astrid Lindgren novel, this fantasy focuses on a Swedish teen drawn into a magical world to battle an evil knight. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

This gripping psychological drama/mystery from Norway is based on the true story of two resistance members who were accused of murdering two old Jewish brothers, Rakel and Jacob Feldmann who were trying to escape Nazi-controlled Norway during WW II. The trial took place after the war, and according to the accused, they had to kill the old men because their frailty jeopardized the safety of the rest of the refugees. It sounds plausible, but a young reporter isn't convinced. His investigation reveals that the Feldmann brothers were extremely wealthy and carried a fortune in cash. To prove his hunch, that the fellows were murdered not only for their money, but also because they were Jewish, the journalist enlists the aid of a police detective (and former resistance fighter). Together they head to the tiny border village where the killing happened. The policeman had been to the town during the war and soon after arriving bumps into his old flame, a woman who knows the truth about the Feldmann murders. It is she who provides them with enough evidence to launch a trial against the two fighters. A courtroom battle ensues, and whether or not justice is served at the end is largely left to the viewer's discretion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This is an exciting thriller about three men who accidentally stumble upon a Russian spy station on "Orion's Belt," a remote segment of the Norwegian island that is their home. Tom (Helge Jordal), Larse (Sverre Anker Ousdal), and Sverre (Hans Ola Sorlie) run a barely profitable business boating tourists around the fjords and showing off the stunning landscapes that are a part of their coastline. But since this business has limited potential, one day the three decide to smuggle out a tractor and sell it for a good return in Greenland. On the way back from that successful venture, a storm hits hard, and they seek shelter on the northern, deserted shore of their island. There they discover the Russian spy station. The three are soon spotted, and though they try to make an escape in their boat, a Russian helicopter nearly shoots it out from under them. Tom's ingenuity devises a way to down the chopper, but soon another looms on the horizon to take its place. Eventually, Tom alone makes his way back home and then is summoned to Oslo for a meeting with the authorities, an encounter that turns out to be very different than expected. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide