Elling

Elling
by Petter Næss

List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $3.15
You Save: $11.83 (79%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.64 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases

DVD Cover Information

Movie Reviews of Elling

Movie Review: "Elling" Transcends the Stereotypes
Summary: 5 Stars

This adaptation of Norwegian writer Ingvar Ambjorsen's best selling novel is a nuanced view of the lives of two mentally ill wards of the state as they struggle to adapt to living as roommates; and they try to make sense of often puzzling and arbitrary codes of "normal" social behavior. At times it is hilarious, but just as Director Peter Naess lures you into a warm and fuzzy feeling, he gives you a glimpse at the simmering rage of his main characters Elling and Kjell. Having worked as a case worker for transitional mental health patients, I can say that "Elling" is the only film I've ever seen that "gets it right" and doesn't approach the subject of mental illness in a condescending or derivative manner. Elling and Kjell aren't lovable loonies or dangerous whackos from central casting. There is a great deal of humor in "Elling" but none of it is used to demean or stereotype the principal characters. When a young punk poet, in bondage gear and Kiss whiteface screams his menacing poetry at a coffee house, it causes an anxiety attack for Elling...but it also begs the question, "Who's the crazy one, here?."

The brilliance of "Elling",however is the two actors who play Elling and Kjell. Per Christian Ellefsen (as Elling) is a fascinating and gentle soul in a constant struggle to keep his obsessions, agoraphobia and anti-social tendencies from consuming him. His sense of equilibrium is threatened by a trip to the grocery store or even picking up the phone and talking. On the other hand, Sven Nordin (as Kjell) is a hulking and affable man (think Gerard Depardieu) who is prone to wild mood swings that lead to socially inappropriate behavior. Kjell's innocence leads him to unwittingly make remarks to women which are regarded as inappropriate in polite society. Kjell is more than capable of a loving , caring sexual relationship but doesn't have the social skills to establish rapport with a female.

As the film progress the two roommates are slowly transformed into fully functional people, albeit, people who still have a lot of problems, but now have the tools to adapt to the perplexing world of social norms. Elling's friendship with elderly bohemian intellectual who shares his passion for poetry provides him with self confidence in his own tentative attempt to write poetry. Kjell's friendship as an informal caretaker for an upstairs neighbor develops into a romantic relationship, as the her pregnancy from a prior lover progresses. Kjell realizes he loves the woman and will help her care for the child as if the child was his own flesh and blood. Both Elling and Kjell anchor each other's erratic behaviors in ways that the viewer never anticipates, and they are often stunned by thier own abilty to say the right thing at the right time, to keep their roommate from spinning out of control. It's a inspiring form of peer therapy.

It is the intriguing and often quirky relationship between our two roommates, Elling and Kjell, that brings the magic to this film. Per Christian and Sven played the principal roles in the stage play of "Elling"; so if you sense that they bring a sense familiar comfort to their acting chemistry, it's because they've shared the stage for hundreds of performances as Elling and Kjell. This movie production of Elling was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, and is shot entirely in Oslo Norway which is a captivating and under used European film location.

Summary of Elling