THRANE'S METHOD /
THRANES METODE
SCHPAAA
BURNT BY FROST /
BRENT AV FROST
MENDEL
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THRANE'S METHOD /
THRANES METODE
(Unni Straume, 1998; 84m)
The day after Thrane moves into his new apartment, he sees his beautiful neighbor, Molly, or Mol, for the first time down by the mailboxes. Suddenly, Thrane knows that he's going to be living there for a long time. Mol it turns out is married, and at first Thrane settles into regarding her as a kind of pure, unobtainable object of desire--a kind of '90s variation of the tradition of courtly love. But when Thrane's architect friend sees Mol and expresses his own desire for her, Thrane is challenged to act, to protect his "turf"--which Mol increasingly seems interested in entering. Director Unni Straume, whose lovely short DERAILMENT was shown at the New York Film Festival in 1993, has created an exquisite, very modern love story about the fear of, as well as longing for, happiness.
Preceded by the short film One Day a Man Bought a House.
Fri April 9: 2 pm and 6:15 pm;
Sat April 10: 8:30 pm
SCHPAAA
(Erik Poppe,1998; 77m)
The past two decades have witnessed an extraordinary new immigration throughout western Europe, and Norway is no exception. Some come for political asylum, others for a chance at better economic conditions; all are profoundly affecting Norwegian life. SCHPAAA follows the stories of five boys in Oslo, focusing especially on the relationship between Jonas and his Bosnian friend Emir. Sensing few opportunities, they lash out against a presumably hostile world with little to sustain them save their ties to each other. A tale about the loss of innocence and search for identity, SCHPAAA is a powerful addition to that movement in European cinema that confronts a rapidly changing urban reality.
Preceded by the short film Eating Out.
Fri April 9: 4 pm and 8:30 pm
FROZEN HEART / FROSSET
(Stig Andersen & Kenny Sanders, 1998; 90m)
Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) is universally considered the most important Polar explorer of all time. This Norwegian adventurer was the first to sail through the Northwest Passage, as well as probably the first person to plant a flag at the North Pole.Yet while the historic accomplishments of Amundsen's life are well known, little of his somewhat bizarre, certainly tragic personal life was known until recently. Using period footage and photographs--some of it shot on Amundsen's expeditions, and much of which has an eerie beauty--as well extracts from his letters and private diaries, filmmakers Andersen and Sanders create a rich, unsettling portrait of this profoundly contradictory national "hero," a man of extraordinary emotional excesses as well as deep, unrequited passions.
Sat April 10: 4 pm;
Sun April 11: 8:15 pm;
Mon April 12: 4 pm
BURNT BY FROST /
BRENT AV FROST
(Knut Erik Jensen, 1997; 97m)
A fascinating work born from a most unusual collaboration: that of director Knut Erik Jensen (STELLA POLARIS), considered Norwegian cinema's most experimental director, and Alf R. Jacobson, perhaps that country's preeminent investigative journalist. During WWII, Simon, a young man living in the far north, works with Soviet partisans against the German occupying forces. After the war he continues his Russian connections, and is received as a hero when he visits the Soviet Union. Moving between historical moments, showing us events, their consequences, and reflections on those events, BURNT BY FROST caused widespread debate in Norway, as it pointed up how a group of partisans had fallen victim to cold war politics.
Wed April 14: 2 pm and 6:15 pm;
Preceded by the short film Depth Solitude.
Thurs April 15: 4 pm
MENDEL
(Alexander Rosler, 1997; 95m)
A perceptive, bitter-sweet tale of growing up in a culture and society not yet your own, MENDEL follows a young Jewish boy and his family who have come to Norway as refugees in the 1950s, a time when the country had very few immigrants from anywhere. Surprised at first by the lack of polar bears in the streets, Mendel experiences cod-liver oil and fish balls as well as the missionary zeal of certain well-meaning citizens. The refugees struggle among themselves with questions of religious practice and ethnic identity, yet what binds them together is the memory of the war--a time never discussed in front of the children, yet it haunts every aspect of the community's life. One of the hits of 1997, MENDEL along with JUNK MAIL and INSOMNIA broke new ground for the reception of Norwegian cinema abroad.
Preceded by the short film Trances.
Wed April 14: 4 pm and 8:15 pm;
Thurs April 15: 2 pm
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